A Silhouette in the Night
by BlackCanary10968
Summary: "Your credentials are spectacular - highly skilled, solid experience - and your past..." "Is unimportant," Mikayla cut the Dark Knight short. "I see. You will be integrated as Black Canary's new sidekick. Welcome to Young Justice, Silhouette." A long season one fic filled with action, drama, etc... (better descrip inside) Spitfire, Super/Oc/Roy (working on it), Chalant
1. Hide

**A Silhouette in the Night**

Hi! So, this is my first story. I haven't written in a while and yes, it is an OC story, but hopefully you'll like it. I already worked out a lot of the ideas in notes, but they still need to be put into a story of course, and I'm always open to suggestions :)

I thought of this and started jotting down ideas over winter break, so it's supposed to take place after episode 18, Secrets (the Halloween episode). So once they get back from their (very frustrating) hiatus, they might air some episodes that conflict with my story-line. My bad. If it's nothing big, then I'll try to change it accordingly. But right now, I have my own mole theories that will come farther down the road; I'd rather not change them, but if they drop any substantial evidence or doubts, I may have to.

By the way, please don't be discouraged by this first chapter; honestly, I think the 2nd is better, but I kind of liked this one for initial setup. (updated) Seriously, please don't judge this fanfic based on this chapter. 1-4 is basically a lot of intro and covering my OC; I think they're all good if you take the time to read them, but out of those, 3 is probably my favorite, and beginning and end of 4 do an ok intro if you don't feel like reading the rest.

Description: Mikayla Clayton is no ordinary sixteen year-old; she's always been a special kid. She's always been smarter, stronger, more passionate. Influenced by the presence of the Justice League, Mikayla trained to perfection in order to become a new hero: Silhouette-a crime-fighting, covert ops vigilante in Gotham City. When Batman requests she join the Team, she is assigned to Black Canary as a sidekick in order to properly integrate. The Team is at first intimidated by her wide range of skills and confidence, but grows to befriend and trust her, even though she won't share her identity with them. She has great potential as a new member, but when she starts coming closer to Superboy, problems start to arise (warning you now, I don't like M'gann all too much). And with the possibility of a mole still hanging over their heads, everyone's past, even the mystery behind hers, will come into question. Will she just end up causing more trouble than she can help prevent?

And so, without further ado, on with the fanfic! DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters (besides my OC), comics, or show; DC and cartoon network do.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1: Hide<strong>

**Gotham City - August 10, 23:41 EDT**

It was a night like any other. On the streets, pale yellow lamplight illuminated the faces of passersby. Darkness gripped the skyline above, beams of moonlight finding escape through scattered tears in the cloud cover. And in the shadows of a rooftop, the Batman made his perch.

His surveillance equipment around him, the famed detective was poised to stake out the neighboring office building of one Samson Werner. He'd had his suspicions about the businessman, and in light of recent events, he believed it was time to investigate the man's dealings.

At 11:47pm, he zoomed in to the main entrance of the building through electronic binoculars—Mr. Werner was leaving for his car, heading home for the night. Batman took the opportunity to turn on the tracker he'd placed on the car before the man drove away; he needed to start watching his movements.

The Batman turned his attention back to his live feeds of the security cameras—several were in place in hallways, entrances, the building's exterior, and in main offices such as Werner's. He'd planned the investigation off of a hunch; he felt it'd be better to discreetly look for anything suspicious by tracking Werner and staking out his office building.

But according to the security feed, nothing seemed to be out of the usual; in fact, everything seemed to be almost too quiet. He had noticed guards making their rounds in a precise routine, alternating the man every now and then, but something was off—their schedule seemed too predictable. Earlier, men were leaving for a smoke, using the bathroom; now it was as though they were actually doing their job right.

Batman scrutinized the screen, looking for something that might give him an insight, when he saw it: a small almost undetectable blip of the feed. Someone had put the cameras on a loop. He swore under his breath, realizing how idiotic he had been for letting something like this slip by his attention. However, it must've been some sort of professional—the clips were perfectly chosen so that an unsuspecting guard wouldn't notice anything wrong and only specific cameras were put on loop. Maybe it was an inside job?

Snatching the binoculars, Batman quickly zoomed in to the offices to see whether this meant there was something going in the building that someone didn't want known. The majority of the offices checked out ok, until he saw a flash of light from Werner's office that didn't show up on the cameras. He had seen Werner working up until 11:30 in his office, packing up, and locking the door. The camera must've been put on loop once Werner had left his office.

Zooming in, he found the office to be relatively dark. The great detective was about to doubt his abilities, and vision, when he noticed movement and switched on the night vision. A figure moved through the room, but it was difficult to get a clear ID. But whoever it was, he or she must have been done with their objective. As the person passed out the door, there was a change in the silhouette: the hair shifted over and caught a moonbeam, the momentary shine revealing it to be waist-length hair. Definitely female.

It was a few minutes before Batman saw any movement around the building. On the rooftop, he spotted what he assumed was the mystery intruder exiting the building. Quickly, he shot his grappling hook at the rooftop and cut through the brisk night air. He looked all around him, scanned the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, and found absolutely nothing. She was gone.

Knowing that the majority of the video was most likely scrap, he decided around one to call it a night and bring what he had discovered back to the Batcave for further analysis. At least he'd gotten a tracker on the guy.

Bruce Wayne woke up late the next morning. The midday light was a little harsh on his eyes as he got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. His adopted son, Dick Greyson, had already been at Gotham Academy for a few hours, but Alfred was waiting patiently in the kitchen with a warm plate of breakfast. "Long night, Master Bruce?" the butler asked, placing the plate on the table.

"No more than usual, Alfred," Bruce explained with a smile as he sat down to eat. He switched on the television and began flipping through news channels when one station caught his attention. The headline, "CFO of Lockley & Co. investigated for involvement in Ponzi scheme," flashed underneath the image of the blonde reporter.

He put down his silverware and paid close attention as the reporter informed her audience of the breaking news: "This is Cat Grant, reporting live from Gotham City's court house where a Mr. Samson Werner, CFO of Lockley & Co., is now being brought into custody. Evidence was released this morning by junior partner Edison Wheeler that incriminates Werner and about six other major figures. Wheeler states that he was not the one to send the documents; however, the email was indeed traced back to his home computer. Regardless, business experts are analyzing the documents sent in. They have yet to get through all of the evidence, but it looks like this is shaping up to be one of the biggest Ponzi schemes Gotham has ever seen."

Bruce turned the volume down and let the rest of the report play in the background. He sat still for a few minutes, poring over his thoughts in silence.

Noticing his employer's tense manner, Alfred inquired as he poured out a glass of orange juice, "Why so somber at such a nice time of day, Master Bruce?"

Bruce looked up out of his trains of thought at Alfred and then to the TV. "The man they're talking about, Sam Werner—I was doing my first night of surveillance on him last night."

"Well, bravo; that was rather quick."

"Except I wasn't the one who did it."

"Whom do you suspect? Perhaps, the man who sent the evidence?"

"No, I don't believe he was directly involved; he's probably just an innocent rookie who was close enough to Werner to be chosen by an outside source."

"Any ideas, sir?"

"One, but it's not much to go off of. I saw a woman in Werner's office last night after he had left, probably getting the documents that were released today. I didn't get a clear image, but she had long hair—most likely brunette, about 5'9", and definitely a professional. She had a clean getaway and did quite a number on the security cameras—I hate to admit it, trust me, but her loop system had _me_ going for a while."

"I'm impressed."

"As am I-but even more so, perturbed. I don't know whether she's part of an organization or independent—I don't even know whether she's loyal to the good guys. If people like this are taking down major crimes in my city without my knowledge, then I obviously haven't been paying Gotham enough of my attention lately."

"Now don't say anything like that, Master Bruce. Gotham is doing better than ever, thanks to you. Criminals are afraid to be on the streets, citizens can walk the streets freely (at least in the daylight hours)—why, even crimes similar to these are being exposed more often," Albert replied with a smile, clearing Bruce's plate as he indicated the report on the news.

Bruce perked up—why hadn't he thought of such an obvious plan earlier? "Alfred, you're brilliant," Bruce commented as he rushed to the library.

"Thank you, sir." The old butler turned on his heel, proudly straightening his tie as he walked off, mumbling, "About time."

By pulling out an old book from one shelf and activating the trick lever, Bruce opened one of the secret passageways into the Batcave. He switched on the computers and began searching events with similar components to what had happened that day: a businessman or group exposed for some unsavory crime by anonymous or unsuspecting persons. By the time Dick had returned from school, he'd already compiled a list of around fifteen occurrences, large- and small-scale, that fit the description.

"What're you working on?" Dick asked curiously, dropping his schoolbag on one of the tables as he made his way to the computers. He had a smile on his face that indicated he'd had a good day with the Team, and Bruce couldn't help but smile back. "Not researching more on Artemis, are you?"

"No. I was on a stake-out last night when I discovered some sort of vigilante, maybe a spy for hire—not sure of the motive yet, or a clear description. I know she's behind the exposure of Werner's Ponzi scheme today, but she may also be related to several other busts as well."

"Cool. Can I help you find out who it is?"

"I'd appreciate that. I'm beginning to see a pattern in her work: she'll uncover a few of the smaller deals, then go for a big job, similar to the one seen today. The bigger ones seem to be spread out between three to four weeks, with a week of lying low before working on the minor cases again."

"So we should wait a couple weeks before scouting her out?"

"Correct. In the mean time, I'll attempt to deduce her next target."

"Anything I can do?"

"Practice your Russian; have that essay ready for me by Thursday."

"I mean anything challenging?"

"Head down to the training room; I'll finish up soon and meet you down there in about half an hour."

"Now that's more like it," the Boy Wonder said with a smirk, heading back to the main building.

Bruce watched the boy leave, taking pride in the young man his protégé had become. Then he turned back to the monitor and continued his research.

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><p><strong>Gotham City - August 23, 22:36 EDT<strong>

The Batman kneeled by the ledge of the rooftop, his cape drawn around him as he overlooked the streets and buildings below. It was a relatively clear night; one could make out several constellations, and the moon shone like polished ivory. The lack of cloud cover made it an unusually cool night for August. It also allowed for fewer shadows to hide in; of course, that worked to your advantage if you were seeking.

He twitched, turning his head towards a whooshing sound that hung in the air for only a brief moment. Robin had finally arrived, in a grand display of flips and cartwheels no less. "It's about time."

"I'm sorry," the Boy Wonder apologized with a smile that made his mentor think otherwise. "After training with the Team, I wanted to work on a science project I'm planning on presenting the first week of school. But don't worry, I didn't leave it in the Batcave; and besides, this one doesn't explode-at least, it's not supposed to."

Batman attempted to throw Robin a serious glare to show his disapproval of such casual joking about their personal lives while on patrol. But seeing as his mild intimidation wasn't changing that impish smile, he instead presented an ultimatum in a neutral tone: "Another chemistry debacle, and you'll be making paper mâché volcanoes for the rest of your science fairs."

That seemed to put a little bit of a scare into him. "Fine, no more flammable or combustible projects. I'll be more careful."

"Good. I forgot to ask-is Artemis assimilating well?"

"You're the one who assigns and monitors the missions."

"I meant team dynamics, flow; has she established friendships with the others yet?"

"You mean is she fitting in with the other kids? I think so; pretty well, as a matter of fact. She's made friends, but she's still untrusting, especially about personal subjects: she hasn't confided in anyone yet, and I don't think she plans on doing so anytime soon-who could blame her? But more importantly, it's only been two weeks and two missions, and she's already showing promising work."

"Excellent. I'm glad she seems right for the Team."

"You sure know how to pick them."

"Let's hope so." He stared into the darkness, recalling the controversial decision to enlist Artemis as a member of the Team once they had found out her secrets. Even if there were those who didn't see it, Batman recognized that she had her own strong reasons that would keep her on their side. He just hoped his judgment of character wouldn't fail him.

"So, what's on tonight's agenda?"

"Do you remember the woman I spoke of a couple weeks ago? The one related to the exposure of Werner's Ponzi scheme?"

"Of course. Did you figure out if she was behind it?"

"I did. And considering all the other events I've related, my conclusion is that she's been behind a number of things lately. And you remember how I was describing her patterns, right? Well, this should be the beginning of her medium-scale week. In the factory below us, some of the players in Gotham's drug trade are meeting. There is an office on-sight that has records of these deals. This venue has many of the characteristics of what I believe to be her past jobs of this nature. There's a good probability that she'll be here tonight."

"And if she doesn't show?"

"Then we turn in the criminals by ourselves."

Robin gave his mentor a nod-the plan was understandable enough: track the mystery vigilante, bust some criminals if nothing else. He made his way to the opposite side of the roof, already knowing his role in a surveillance mission such as this.

An hour passed, yet the area was empty. A homeless man wandered by, but there was still no sign of the woman. It was just about midnight by Robin's watch when he saw something flash and disappear in an alleyway. He at first thought nothing of it when all of a sudden the light reappeared, this time on the rooftop two buildings over. Although the shimmer died away as quickly as it had before, this time, in the full exposure of the moonlight, it brought his attention to the figure that made it. That was when he realized it was a woman's long hair that was catching the bright moonbeams as its owner ran farther away.

Without a moment to lose, Robin gave chase, trying his best to be discreet. He knew Batman would either be behind him soon or waiting behind for the information he'd gather on the vigilante. Whoever she was, she was fast-agile, too. Her skill in rooftop-hopping seemed to almost match his. He was not yet close enough to get an exact visual on her costume or face; for the most part, she kept to the more shadowy regions.

He refrained from using his grappling hook in fear that she'd hear him, but the consideration was soon made moot. The woman stopped by the far edge of a roof and turned around as Robin reached the other side. He was surprised to find that the woman was merely a girl, maybe late teens, very early twenties. Her costume seemed to almost blend in with the night and was similar to what Black Canary wore: the corsage-leotard ensemble was a deep violet rather than black and sported a black utility belt. She, too, wore black boots-but with sheers rather than opaque gray tights-and long black gloves, although they weren't fingerless. One of the biggest differences was that this girl wore a domino mask similar to many of the other Leaguers, rather than exposing her full face like Canary. On her back was a small black backpack, probably holding the documents she retrieved.

As for physical appearance, Robin recognized the brown hair cascading halfway down her back that had been drawing his attention with its shine. Her skin was rather light, almost glowing softly like the moon. High cheekbones and a gently ski-sloping nose marked her face gracefully. She seemed to be about average height for a twenty-year-old female, and the costume was definitely made to accentuate her curves; on the other hand, she was still lean and her muscles well-defined, like many heroes her age.

Robin noticed all of this in an instant. But his period for observation begged the question: why had she stopped? What puzzled him even further was a crooked smile that played upon her lips; or rather, the smirk of someone who was one step ahead. It was an intriguing smile, one that made him want to draw peacefully near or attack out of frustration in conflicting turns. However, he'd forgotten to ask Batman whether this stranger should be treated as an equal or a hostile.

Realizing a statement was not coming anytime soon, the girl shrugged and looked as though she would turn away. Robin did the first thing that came to mind and pulled out a Batarang, yelling "Freeze!"

The girl raised her hands to show she was unarmed, but held back a small laugh, very soft yet robust. "Fear not, Boy Wonder; my intent is not malicious," the girl explained. Her voice was smooth and warm, almost musical in tone, and it had a range slightly higher than Wonder Woman's voice. But though it carried confidence, it didn't seem to suit someone in their twenties; Robin started to reform her age range to be between sixteen and nineteen. "It's truly a pleasure to finally meet someone who shares my desire to deliver justice."

"Then why did you run?"

"I did not realize I was being followed; well, that, in part, is a lie. I did not realize _you_were following me until only a few minutes ago."

Robin was surprised: he thought his tactics of trailing the suspect were carried out with great stealth. Apparently, he was not careful enough; or he had underestimated her. Either way, he was a bit perturbed, so his next statement came off a little more frustrated than intended: "The Batman wants to have a word with you."

Her eyes perked up at the mention of the Dark Knight-out of what emotion, Robin could not guess-but they soon regained their cool confidence. "Ah, but you see, that was _not_my intent. I'd rather stay in the dark. I promise you I am no villain, but Gotham doesn't need another hero."

"Are you saying you've done anything remotely heroic enough to compare yourself to Batman?"

"Forgive me; I didn't mean to imply such an outrageous statement. On the contrary, I am not a symbol, nor do I wish to be; all the same, I aid the powerless and bring down the corrupt, for it is what's just."

Robin considered her declaration and observed how serious she became as she expressed her part in creating justice. He put down the Batarang and finally asked the question he was dying to know: "Then who are you, exactly?"

And the smirk returned. "I am merely an individual in the crowd; an anonymous piece, obligated to preserve the whole; not a symbol, but rather, an undefined figure, operating in the cover of the shadows." Here the girl stepped backwards onto the ledge, causing Robin to once again be on the alert. She continued in the same manner without hesitation, "Think of me simply as... just a silhouette in the night."

And suddenly, she dropped off of the building, her countenance unchanging as she fell below Robin's horizon. Robin rushed to the ledge, searching for the girl on the streets below, but she had disappeared. He heaved a sigh and leaned against an air vent for support. Touching the com link in his ear, Robin asked, "Did you catch all of that?"

"Yes," was the reply. "I'll need a full physical description when we return to the Batcave."

"I'm sorry; it's my fault that she got away."

There was a pause in the communication. Robin looked down, ashamed he had let emotions interfere with accomplishing his task. But Batman resumed, surprisingly calmly, "Catching her wasn't part of tonight's plan. We have recorded audio and a firsthand description of her. Your performance was acceptable."

Once they had returned to Wayne manor and debriefed, Batman asked what his protégé's personal opinion of her was. Robin thought back and tried to be accurate: "She's definitely smart and must have some form of experience; confident in her abilities, but humble in her role. To tell you the truth, I don't think we know the full extent of what she can do-first it was espionage, now agility and stamina, possibly acute hearing, and definitely stealth. Two things are for sure: she seems to be on the side of the good guys, and it would be wise to keep it that way."

Batman folded his hands under his chin and looked at the composite drawing of the girl's face and rough, full body drawing of her in costume. "That will be all. Go to bed; you still have training tomorrow. I'll let you know if I find anything new." And so he watched the boy climb the staircase back to the main hall, wondering what emotions this stranger evoked that distracted his protégé so easily. Above all, he assumed it was the frustration of being one-upped.

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><p><strong>Gotham City - September 12, 20:14 EDT<strong>

It had been almost a month, but the Batman could not pick up her trail. She broke out of her cycle, probably suspecting they had calculated it, making it practically impossible to determine where she would be. The girl basically fell off the radar, but was not so quick to fall out of the dynamic duo's consideration. Batman continued to look for clues in his spare time, not accustomed to leaving a mystery unfinished.

Robin was a little more affected, or rather, intrigued. It wasn't very often that someone presented a challenge such as this so directly; it was like she was begging him to try to solve the puzzle. Unfortunately, he only had random pieces that couldn't reveal the final picture as a whole. But he was persistent, not to mention skilled-he'd find out who she was, somehow.

In the meantime, they continued their dual lives routinely: billionaire father and son by day, famed heroes by night. This particular night, Batman had been called in for League business, but the issue was resolved quickly. Having already given Robin the Friday night off to spend with the Team, he decided to go out patrolling the streets of Gotham alone. Darkness befell the city once more as the Dark Knight made his way in stealth mode through nearly empty streets in the Batmobile. He drove by a few incidents, stepping in where he was needed.

Batman parked the Batmobile in a dark alley, for in one similar to it on the other side of the street, he had noticed a disturbance: about four men had cornered a woman into the dead-end.

He was about to intervene, but to his surprise, a dumpster seemingly beat him to it. The massive container fell forward, taking out two of the men with its garbage. The weirdest part was that he couldn't determine who had knocked it over and didn't see any sign of tampering.

Batman didn't believe in such luck. He began searching the rooftops, assuming someone else must be involved, perhaps a psychic. It didn't take long for an answer to appear. A figure seemed to jump out from the shadows farther down the alley, springing into action against the men still standing. The two, both of whom were fairly large in stature, were defeated in a matter of seconds. One of the men who had been buried staggered to his feet and pulled out a gun. Batman felt this would be the appropriate time to intervene and aimed a Batarang from the camouflage of the Batmobile, but he was surprised once again: the stranger (by now, he could at least tell it was a woman) swiftly knocked the gun out of the perp's hand and then proceeded to knock him out.

She walked over to the would-be victim, now a shadowy mass hiding behind another trashcan, and let her know she was safe. Batman had his audio tuned to hear the conversation across the street and immediately recognized the voice: it was her-_the_girl. He paid close attention from thereon and set his mask to video recording. With the other woman walking away a bit shaken, the girl cast a look of contempt on the unconscious men. Glaring at the one stuck underneath the trash, Batman heard her mutter, "the irony."

But there were more surprises to come. The girl raised her hand, and the trash lifted away from the body. She turned toward the dumpster, and it set itself upright, the trash rushing back in as if by magic. Seeing part of a rope flying by, she plucked it from the stream. _"So she's a psychic, too,"_Batman thought, his interest in this vigilante growing by the minute.

She ripped the sleeves of their jackets and used the pieces to bind their arms and gag their mouths. Levitating the men back-to-back in a circle, she tied the rope securely around them and brought them out to the main sidewalk. Robin had reported a fairly accurate description of the girl, but Batman was finally able to get recorded visual of her as she stepped into the light of the flickering street lamp. It looked like she attached something to the group after dropping them to sitting positions on the ground.

Batman had wanted to see what she would do on her own with the men; by this time however, before he could even jump out of the Batmobile and confront her, she had already fled the scene and disappeared in the shadows. Seeing that there was no use in trying to follow her trail, Batman examined the bound criminals. Pinned on the shirt of one was a note with "ARREST US" written on it. Attached was a plastic baggie containing a memory chip. When he plugged it in to his portable monitor, he found images of the group selling drugs in what looked like the East End and a video of them cornering the woman, two holding knives. _"So it wasn't coincidence-she's been surveying her targets," _Batman reflected. He proceeded to make a photocopy of the note and download the memory chip data onto a new flashdrive. Not wanting to undo the careful work this vigilante had done in order to legally put these criminals to justice, he replaced the evidence with the copies, planning on analyzing the originals later. Before heading in for the night, he decided it wouldn't hurt to lend the police a hand and drop the criminals off in front of the station.

However, when Batman returned to the Batcave, he was unable to find anything conclusive from the evidence. She didn't leave fingerprints, hair, DNA samples of any sort-he couldn't even trace where she'd bought the chip from. All he had was her handwriting, which looked as though it was intentionally written in the most common style; it would be nearly impossible to match it back to her. It seemed as though this vigilante, a mere girl, was always several steps ahead of even Gotham's greatest detective himself.

His curiosity for this masked vigilante grew with each occurrence; she obviously wasn't just some person playing dress-up. She was very skilled and even super-powered. At this rate, he wouldn't be surprised if the next time they met, he discovered she could teleport. Due to this line of thought, he was also anxious about her presence. He didn't exactly appreciate a powerful, individual force operating on its own without his knowledge, especially if he didn't know her boundaries or motives, let alone her identity.

Bruce continued to work late that night, not even noticing when Dick got back. Finally, with only two hours of darkness left and no further advancements, he resigned himself to his bedroom for whatever rest he could get. However, it was a restless sleep, and he got back out of bed with the rising of the sun.

Albert was already in the kitchen, alerted of his employer's waking as if by a sixth sense. Bruce felt déjà vu as he flipped through the news and found a channel reporting on the gang found by police pre-arrested. Speculators at first assumed Batman had made the capture, but authorities didn't believe it to be his style and were still unsure of the individual or group responsible. But he knew the truth behind this anonymous story and several others. But it seemed as though the chapters were never conclusive, one just leading to another along the surface linearly, never digressing into the deeper details. Would he ever reach the big reveal?

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><p>Ok, I thought that would be a fine place to stop. I haven't written a while, so I've forgotten how to make a good ending… As the story progresses, hopefully chapters will start getting longer (or I'll break them up more if people prefer them to be shorter).<p>

Chapter two is already in the works, so I'll try to get it up soon. I'm going to try to post as many chapters as I can before YJ finally (!) returns (March 3rd, in case you're wondering). I realize that's this Saturday, so maybe I'll post on Friday (or Thursday? idk)...

Like I said, I haven't written in a while. I would really appreciate comments and reviews! Let me know what you think, and I'll try my best to update regularly :)


	2. And Seek

**A Silhouette in the Night**

Chapter two! Just so you know: chapters one through three are more to set up my OC, and see where she came from (kind of like the Artemis back-story in the comics). I liked fitting in Batman-Robin relationship pieces in the last chapter (even though some accounts might be a bit corny), and will do my best to not focus the entire story on my OC, but these first chapters and many others will. I'm not going to lie—this is mainly an OC story. But I do love everything about Young Justice (characters, plot, animation), so don't think I'm leaving it all out.

Also, this chapter and the first were supposed to go together (why the titles complement each other), but it would've been really long. In my opinion, I think this chapter is faster and would be a better hook, but hey, sé la vi... (sp? pshh I don't know any French...)

We left off with Batman discovering a young, female vigilante operating in Gotham City. When he discovers that she's been exposing minor and major crimes without his knowing, he's impressed but curious. Robin confronts her and Batman sees her once again, but each encounter raised even more questions—the most important of all: who is she?

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters (except my OC) or the show; DC, Cartoon Network, and Warner Brothers do.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2: And Seek<strong>

**Gotham City - September 25, 17:03 EDT**

It was a quiet afternoon. Bruce Wayne sat in front of the main monitor in the Batcave, brooding. Red Tornado's attack was still a sore and unexpected turn of events. He did not believe Red Tornado had betrayed them-not willingly, at least. It did not seem to be that obvious. Perhaps he was pre-programmed or infiltrated by a bug; maybe it was of his own will. But whatever the motive, it was an extremely dangerous situation: he had a perfect record of the majority of the Justice League. Member or traitor, they had to find him. Fast.

Bruce could hear the front door slam from all the way down there. Dick was home. The last couple of days had been rough for him. On the outside, the boy appeared to be collected, but out of all the Team members, he was quite possibly the most affected by this whole affair. Bruce knew that Dick placed much unnecessary blame upon himself when no one could be at fault. Dick didn't say it directly, but he was restless-his eyes were swollen from late nights and uneasy sleep, he was training with a furious vigor, and he was easily set off.

This year, his first week of school wasn't his best. Being a thirteen-year-old starting high school wasn't a major problem for him; he did better than the majority of his class and had friends in his grade and a few in those below and above. The issue was that his hero life usually remained reasonably separate from his normal life, yet this statement wasn't holding true in this case. Unless he was injured and had to be excused from school (on the basis of an accident due to some extreme activity that billionaire boys do when they feel like it), the two generally didn't cross.

But this time, it was showing in a general bad mood. One teacher even called Bruce to make sure Dick was prepared for the high school commitment considering he had already missed the second and third days and returned with a sullen attitude. He knew better than anyone that Dick was ready for college if he felt like it. All the same, he assured the teacher all was well, he was just frustrated about some important competition in Europe that he didn't win, that it should pass by next week; or rather, he hoped it would. After India, Robin had at least calmed down about Aqualad concealing his knowledge of a possible mole, but he was still upset about the Red fiasco. Bruce was beginning to worry; he couldn't stand to see the usually energetic, happy boy so distraught. _He_was supposed to be the stern one.

Dick entered the Batcave, already dressed in training clothes and ready for their session. He looked like he had already worked himself into a sweat preparing for it. "You ready?"

"How was school today?" Bruce asked in an even tone, hoping to calm him down and ease him into the conversation he'd been avoiding all week.

"Don't want to talk about it."

"Dick."

"It was like any other day, ok?"

"Richard." Bruce stared him down with a look only Batman could produce. He knew he was frustrated, but he wanted better than just another sarcastic remark.

Dick instantly felt ashamed; he knew he was pushing it if he was getting the Batman glare out of costume _and_the full name. He released a heavy sigh and then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Bruce looked at his adopted son until he finally met his gaze. "Dick-it wasn't your fault."

He knew that was coming. Dick broke eye contact, angry and ashamed of himself, and explained, "I should have seen it coming. I let my guard down. I was unprepared."

Bruce approached the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The League didn't even see it coming; I don't think anyone could have. But it's our responsibility to keep all of you safe. If anything, it was a failure on our part."

Dick smiled a little at the thought of the great Batman making a mistake-it didn't seem possible, but he supposed it was. Bruce was just glad to see that spark of joy return to the boy's eyes. He lifted his chin like a child to get a better look at him: his hair seemed a little longer, his features more defined, his eyes once more a perky blue. But he frowned upon noticing a bruise on his neck that he hadn't seen before. "When did you get this one?" he questioned, a note of concern in his voice.

Embarrassed, Dick rubbed the nape of his neck. "Well, there was this girl at school..."

"Do I need to have a talk with you about appropriate behavior?"

Now turning beet red, Dick raised his hands and voice in defense. "Sheesh! You don't have to jump the gun with it! It happened at fencing practice."

"Continue," Bruce stated, much more relieved.

"Well, I was being arrogant, and she made me pay for it. Now I'm a little annoyed that I was being so sloppy: she's very good, and I think it would have been an interesting matchup if I was doing my best. To tell you the truth, she might beat me. I didn't practice that much over the summer; I've gotten a bit rusty."

Bruce smiled, enjoying the return of his more genial mood. "Is she new? You've never mentioned someone being able to beat you in fencing before."

"I think so. She's a junior—sixteen, I think. She's in my AP Bio and AP Calculus classes. Maybe she's just catching up in APs? I don't know… but she's incredibly smart, yet usually keeps to herself."

"You seem interested."

A bit of the red returning to his cheeks, Dick replied, "Well, she's...intriguing. But the weirdest part is that she seems so familiar. I met her only a few days ago, yet I feel like I've seen her before." That much was true. He felt as though he'd seen her somewhere, but it was like his train of thought was moving through a fog; the memory seemed to elude him, hiding in the shadows of other memories...

And that's when it clicked. "It's her!" he exclaimed, excited by his revelation.

"What are you talking about, Dick?"

Quickly, he pulled up all the data they had on the mystery vigilante Batman had been racking his brains over and spread it out over all the monitors. "It's her," he repeated in a giddy frenzy. "It all fits! Her hair's shorter, but it's still the same color; she has the same build, same face, similar voice, the athletic ability! Haha! I found her!"

"Slow down, Dick. Are you sure this is the girl? There are probably quite a few in Gotham that fit her description." He didn't want to get the boy's hopes too high; but if Dick was this sure about it, he had very little reason to doubt that he was wrong.

"Positive." He had on a victorious grin that stretched from ear to ear. So what if she beat him on an off-day in fencing; so what if she had been puzzling him and eluding his discovery for over a month? He had won the war.

Eventually Bruce caved in. "Okay: bring me some pictures of the schoolgirl. If they do match, I'll start an investigation on her. But I don't want you confronting her or mentioning anything about this to anyone, not even the League—at least, not yet."

"Got it."

"And one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Her name?"

"Right, of course... It's Mikayla-Mikayla Clayton."

* * *

><p><strong>Gotham City - September 30, 8:03 EDT<strong>

Batman had indeed started what turned into quite the extensive research project on this Mikayla Clayton. Once he had begun, it didn't take long to see that Dick was most likely correct in his deduction.

There was plenty of information on her if he looked thoroughly enough. Her normal life was even more impressive than her work as a vigilante. She was an incredibly accomplished girl, having won several prizes in academic and athletic competitions as well. This was, in fact, her first year at Gotham Academy, but from what he found, she had already completed a high-school curriculum, skipping a few of the younger grades and eventually quitting for being home-schooled and independent study. He couldn't see why she would want to repeat high school, but he did learn from all of this that she was nothing short of a genius.

Her family life seemed relatively normal: mother, father, younger brother. There still seemed to be some gaps in certain areas of her life, particularly in the last few years, but he had a good idea of what she was doing. He didn't find any apparent signs of malicious secrets or a shady past. What he did find interesting were her parents, two fairly accomplished and respected scientific researchers. They appeared to be normal and didn't catch his attention at first, but as he was reading an article on them, one name did: Mark Desmond-former head of the Cadmus genetics lab, recently transformed monster, and creator of Superboy.

As he researched more into the connection between her parents and Desmond, he found that they were part of a group of Harvard students who joined an advanced research group upon graduating. They worked together and assisted on projects that would cure certain viral infections and repair damaged tissue. All three worked there for about five years before the group dissolved, sending everyone their separate ways.

The strange thing about their employment was the last two years of it. Their previous accomplishments were recorded and publicized with great detail. The last project was longer than the others, yet the reports were lacking in certain aspects and deemed the project an overall failure. Considering it apparently factored in to the group's breaking up, Batman felt it was definitely worth investigating.

However, Batman could find nothing else through the public domain. He deliberated for a moment, then logged on to the Justice League's government access site—his research project was now somehow related to Cadmus, and he deemed that reason enough to access the private database. He had to search for almost an hour before he by chance caught mention of something.

When he executed the new search, the database returned a long list of files, but only one seemed to be relative to what he was looking for. Upon trying to open it, a window popped up warning that access was denied. The file was marked by the government as "Secret". Now Batman was concerned; how was this girl or her parents related to national security?

Looking at the encryption code, he realized it would take a while to crack. He got right to work and was finally able to read the file two hours later. The contents explained it all.

* * *

><p><strong>Watchtower – October 3, 8:59 EDT<strong>

Batman looked down at the Earth. He could see what looked like a hurricane making its way over the South Pacific. From up there, Earth looked more like a colorful marble rather than a planet accommodating all the complexities of life. It seemed almost insignificant when he looked past it to see the millions of stars floating light-years away in space, their bright presence no longer dimmed by marine layer or urban pollution.

To think only a few days ago the planet was in danger of being destroyed by plants. Or rather, humans were in danger. And as usual, the Justice League saved the day. Now they were aiding with repairs and rescue in the affected cities; considering the situation, the damage wasn't horrible. Unfortunately, there were several casualties in the cities like Metropolis and Gotham where many tall buildings were hit-some that hadn't been evacuated in time.

At least the Joker and the rest of the so-called Injustice League were to be put behind bars. Batman remembered arriving at the bayou and seeing that psycho up against Robin. He couldn't help but shudder at the recollection; of all the villains they had fought, Joker was the last person he'd want Robin to be alone with, let alone in a one-on-one battle. That lunatic had no limits.

He wasn't at the Watchtower to talk about the Injustice League, even though he had certain suspicions that needed to be voiced. Of course they were using a Kobra Venom variant to enhance the plant creatures, but he had his suspicions about who was really behind everything lately; he doubted these were the only seven, and had a feeling they knew nothing of a mole. Their attack was too public and not relatively complicated; for God's sake, the children were able to foil their plan. He suspected there was something else going on, others even higher up calling the shots; this group couldn't be the only villain organization out there. No, that would be a necessary talk, but for another day. His reason for beaming up to the Watchtower this morning was much different. Actually, the events almost helped his situation: the discovery and capture of an Injustice League presented what seemed like a safer environment.

On the table behind him were three copies of a file that he'd brought up, all marked "Secret". He'd of course burn them afterwards and had already deleted his digital copy and search permanently. Robin had been keeping tabs on the majority of his investigation and knew about the girl's normal life, but Batman didn't think his protégé needed to know this part. Even though he was the one to find out her secret identity, everyone was entitled to a certain amount of privacy.

The metal door slid open on the other side of the room. "Bruce," Superman stated as he walked into the room, "you called me?"

"You know better than to use civilian names up here," he replied briskly, the friendly tone of their off-duty conversation replaced with the intimidation of Batman.

"Right." Superman, noticing the files, asked, "So, what's this about?"

Before Batman could answer, Martian Manhunter entered through the door. "You wished to see me?"

"Yes. Black Canary should be here soon, as well. I have a matter concerning the Team."

The man of steel suddenly felt unnerved even thinking about the possible topic of his clone. His brows knit with agitation, he questioned rather curtly, "Then why am I here?"

Batman, unaffected by the Kryptonian's anger, simply replied, "Seeing as you're practically a co-leader of the League, I thought it'd be best to keep you in the loop on this decision."

"What decision?" came a woman's voice as she entered the room.

"Black Canary. Good-let's get started."

"On what, exactly?" Superman asked impatiently.

"I'm planning on recruiting another member for the Team."

"But we just added Artemis," Superman commented.

"Over a month ago. And even without powers, she's been a promising addition."

"Are you sure we should be adding anyone else?" asked Canary. "The Team seems to have finally found a dynamic flow."

"I have no set number for the Team. And possible members aren't declined just because they'd be brought on late," Batman explained, giving Canary a look that reminded her that although she'd been part of the Justice League for a few years now, she herself was one of the more recent members to join. "As a matter of fact, Zatarra is considering allowing his daughter to participate."

Canary, realizing that Batman was right, asked in a more accepting tone, "So what's his story?"

"_Her_ story, actually." Batman proceeded to explain his first encounter with the female vigilante that late night in Gotham; how he connected her to several other exposures; Robin's confrontation; his alley sighting; the discovery of her identity.

"Robin knows her as Mikayla Clayton, genius and prime athlete, vigilante on the side. However, I did some additional research and found something that he will probably never figure out." Batman pointed to the table, indicating for the other three to read the files.

Noticing the red label at the top of the file, Superman questioned, "Where did you get these?"

"I borrowed them from the database."

"We don't have classified government files like this that can be read."

"That's correct."

"So you hacked government systems?"

"Yes."

"And stole classified information?"

"I believe the word I used was 'borrowed'."

"Do you know the trouble this establishment could get into for doing that? Batman, I—"

Black Canary, subtly trying to break the rising tension, calmly interjected, "Well, it's an interesting read, but I don't see anything terrible going on."

Superman calmed down but kept a firm gaze on Batman. Batman himself acted as though nothing had happened, and turned back to Black Canary. "Exactly. The investigation led me to believe her parents were possibly linked to Cadmus; that, however, proved false. Once I read the report, the truth was clear. What it did prove is that she most likely has a clean past; based on my other research, she appears not to have an evil present."

"Who else knows of these documents?" asked J'onn, who had been relatively reserved throughout the meeting.

"Along with anyone else who knew before, you three and I."

"Then they should be destroyed immediately," Superman interjected, still worried.

"Of course; I already planned on doing so promptly after this discussion. Since we four would be dealing with her the most, I just wanted all of you to be informed of her past. I had no intention of keeping these copies or any record of their retrieval."

"Fine," Superman continued, less angry, but still agitated. "But next time, let me know before you break federal law using Justice League systems. We could get caught in some very hot water for things like this. And—"

Superman's com link beeped, and he touched his ear to answer it: "Captain Atom? … No, I'll be there as soon as I can." Turning back to the group present, he concluded, "Look, I have to go. As far as my opinion's concerned, I think she has talent and good potential. Though I don't approve of the way you investigated her, Batman, I think she should be allowed on. Good luck." And with that, the man of steel left the room.

Once she was sure Superman had taken enough time to Zeta-beam back to Earth, Canary joked, "Gosh. What's got his spandex in a twist?"

"He's still anxious about Conner. And concerning his frustration with breaking the law, they don't call him the 'boy scout' without reason. So, what are your opinions?"

"She's a fighter—I like her," Black Canary commented with a smile.

"I, too, believe she will be well-liked by the Team; she has much potential. And what of her psychic abilities?" the Martian asked.

"At the least, she has telekinesis. To what extent, I don't know. I'm currently unaware of her possessing other forms of psychic powers, but I can't be sure she doesn't."

"If she requires training, I'd be willing to offer."

"Thank you, J'onn. I realize, however, that you have already taken Miss Martian under your wing—and even now, she's still not your formal sidekick. If Mikayla asks or needs obvious assistance, then I appreciate and will recommend the offer." Now Batman turned to face Black Canary. "On the contrary, I'm suggesting _you_ become her mentor."

Black Canary was at first taken by surprise by the sudden recommendation, but she relaxed after a few moments and asked calmly, "Sure, I like the girl by looking at her report, but on what grounds do you think I'd fit as her mentor? I'm not even looking for a sidekick."

"Neither was Green Arrow, really; especially after the recent break up with Speedy. It wouldn't have to be permanent—just a temporary mentorship to show her the ropes and refine her skills; she has already demonstrated a great deal of experience and talent. You said so yourself: she's a fighter. And based on what I've seen and researched, she's an exceptionally good one, too. I know your superpowers don't exactly match up, but your level of hand-to-hand combat skills do. And you wouldn't have to come to Gotham; she'd help you in Star City."

Black Canary was skeptical about this situation. Yes, the girl was promising and a great fighter like her, but she hadn't even met her. She mulled it over for a little while and then responded: "Fine. I'll take her on. But what makes you so sure she even wants to get on board with this? Didn't she run from you and Robin?"

"That's why I'd like you to be the one to confront her. She might feel more comfortable with a female Justice League member."

"So do I just show up at her front door and tell her parents 'hi, I'm from the Justice League, and we'd like to recruit your daughter'? What if they don't even know she's moonlighting as a vigilante?"

"I doubt that they don't know anything about it, but it is possible that they don't realize she's doing more than just helping little old ladies get their purses back. That's why I'd like you to confront her in the field. That, and I'd like to see her in action on a covert mission."

"And how do you plan on doing that? You said the last time you found her was by chance."

"True. But now I know much more about her. I also know that in less than two weeks time, Nikolai Bagrov, head of Bagrov Enterprises, is holding a company gala in his office building," he slid another file over to Black Canary, this time on Bagrov. "There have been a couple small articles in the past month that hinted he's related to something corrupt. Upon extensive research, I found that he is deeply connected with the Eastern European sex trade, but there is no evidence to prove so. It's the perfect opportunity and her type of job—I believe she'll be there. You can confront her afterwards or when she's in his office, most likely the ultimate target, but be discreet—she takes great care into keeping her outside intervention unknown."

Thinking of the complicated thought process behind this, Canary commented, "And that's why _you're_ the master detective."

Batman paused and then began walking towards the door. Before exiting, he turned back around to face Black Canary. "Get her on board with it. I've done far too much to see this fail." And with that, he left the room.

* * *

><p>Yes, got through a second chapter! Btw, I hope you like it and aren't completely bored—it'll pick up more in the next chapter. The next chapter will basically be the party and Black Canary confronting Mikayla.<p>

And yes, I realize Batman is a lot happier and less unapproachable in my version. I think he has a good relationship with Robin, and do think Dick is Bruce's adopted son; I think they get distant or the relationship is strained when the League is very busy, and when Robin is acting out of line (such as unnecessary sass), Batman responds either with the natural intimidation or stern parenting… I'm just saying: that basketball scene in "Downtime" was one of my favorites, so I feel like Bruce is trying to be the good father that was taken away from him, and does have a bit of a softer side with Dick (at least when out of costume).

Please review and get others to read if you like it! I always appreciate it!


	3. Masks

**A Silhouette in the Night**

So, chapter three… Finally get to see things from the OC's perspective.

We left off with Batman discovering the vigilante is actually a new student at Gotham Academy: a sixteen year-old girl named Mikayla Clayton. After researching Mikayla's impressive accomplishments and discovering a secret federal file on her, Batman is proposing the Justice League recruit her as Black Canary's new sidekick. Hoping to watch Mikayla on one of her own covert ops missions, Batman has suggested Black Canary confront her on the night of the Bagrov gala. But will the mission even go according to plan? And Mikayla already ran away once—what would stop her this time?

DISCLAIMER: (as usual…) don't own Young Justice (but Mikayla is MINE); Warner Brothers, DC, and Cartoon Network do.

WARNING: This chapter is rated T for sexual suggestions, lewd conduct, and swearing.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 3: Masks<strong>

**Gotham City – October 13, 20:43 EDT**

It was an odd feeling: to look at your reflection and have a stranger stare back at you. No matter how many times she did this, it always felt unusual.

Mikayla turned her head from side to side to make sure the image in front of her would copy her movements; the platinum blonde wig seemed to hold in place. Leaning over the sink to get a better look in the grimy mirror, she reached into and plucked a small box from the duffle bag she had brought, putting the blue contacts in to conceal her true eye color. Once that was done, she could finally put on the long red gloves to complete the crimson evening attire. She fastened on the thick, silver bracelets and matching necklace, both complementing the silver heals. Taking one last look, she fixed her makeup, slightly darkening the burgundy lipstick and silvery eye shadow.

She pulled out the small laptop one more time and was pleased to see the necessary people had finally arrived at the location. It was time to go.

Mikayla stowed the duffle with her normal clothes behind the broken toilet of the third stall, as she always did for quick changes, but kept with her a red clutch with silver accents. Climbing the steps back up to the surface streets, Mikayla emerged a completely different person: a twenty-something blonde ready for an upscale event. The cool night air rushed in through her nostrils, expelling the noxious stench she had dragged up from the dilapidated public restroom. Her dress loosely covered her ankles, but the front was low and the back even lower, making her wish she had brought a shawl or coat of some sort.

Mikayla walked out to a busier street and signaled for a taxi. Two almost crashed into each other trying to stop for the blonde woman. She sat down in the backseat of the younger cabbie with grace and flashed her dumbstruck driver a smile. "The Bagrov building, please—Fourteenth and Waterford," she asked with a sweet voice in a foreign accent.

It took a few moments for the taxi driver to remember he needed to turn forward in order to drive the car. "Sure, sure… You new in town, miss? European or something?"

"Swedish," over-pronouncing the 'w' as a 'v' to show her authenticity. "But just visiting." Mikayla nonchalantly powdered her nose, using her modified compact to discreetly check up on the situation at the Bagrov building.

When the taxi finally reached its destination, the driver was reluctant to say, "Well, here we are."

Mikayla lingered in the back seat for a moment before leaning toward the front. In a seductive tone, she whispered in his ear, "And if I need a ride home?"

The driver's reaction was exactly as she had planned: hilarious. He was around late twenties, maybe thirty, and of average looks, but his already ruddy cheeks flushed red as a tomato as he stammered to think of what to do. "I-uh… number—here…" he managed to get out slower than his shaking hands could produce the paper.

But Mikayla managed to maintain a brilliant façade, though she could barely hold back her laughter. She exited with a "_tak_" and proceeded to walk up the front steps. Having absolutely no intention of calling the number, she let the scrap paper fly away on the chilly breeze. Though pointless and albeit a little mean, it was funny to see an older man melt so easily under just a few of her words—it filled her with the confidence she would need to get through the night.

From the shadows across the street, a natural blonde watched through binoculars from her motorcycle. "Canary to Batman," Black Canary spoke into her com link, "the subject has entered the Bagrov building. Should I go in?"

"No;" was the response, "wait until she's in the office. I already set up my own cameras in the areas of interest. Check your phone, and you will find an app to monitor them. It took her a lot to do this job; let her finish, then confront her. Take the stairs, and I'll have security covered"

"Got it, Bats," she replied. Checking her phone, she wasn't too surprised to find the new app had appeared without her knowledge. When she checked it, she found Mikayla on a screen that placed her in the lobby.

Mikayla stepped inside the building and looked around, already perfectly familiar with the lobby's layout. She turned to her right and the security kiosk in the corner it was supposed to be. She could see the glow of the monitors on the three guards' faces who were sitting in chairs positioned farther back, and one sitting at the front counter. Walking with a smooth gait, she approached the desk and stole the attention of all four. "Can I, uh, help you, ma'am?"

"I'm here for Bagrov party, of course," she replied while popping her hip out to the side, assuming the pose would make the guards realize she was obviously dressed to stun.

"Right, of course… Um, invitation, please?"

Mikayla pulled out a square of decorated card-stock and handed it to the man. He looked it over, and, apparently finding nothing suspicious, stated the name on the card: "Sonja Vinter?"

"That is me."

"Kendall will escort you to the convention room; you'll find the rest of your party there."

"You will not be accompany?" she pouted, purposefully butchering the English language whilst putting on a face of disappearance. She leaned over the counter and brought his face closer with a finger under his chin. All the guards stared enviously at the two, mad that they hadn't opted for front-desk job that night. She leaned over even farther and whispered in his ear, "Shame," before pulling back completely with an innocent smile. The men were completely oblivious to the fact that she had attached an EMP device to the bottom of the counter, concealed by the slight overhang. "So, which one is called 'Kendall'?"

One of the guards stumbled out of his chair and then straightened himself up. He puffed up his chest, and deepening his voice, Kendall stated, "That would be me. Right this way, Miss Vinter."

Mikayla strutted toward the elevator, hoping to capture their attention like before as she triggered the EMP device start-up, switching their security feeds to her system. The elevator ride was rather quiet, so she checked her compact one last time to confirm the two people she needed were present in the room.

The elevator car stopped on floor 10, and Kendall let her know that the hallway led to the open doors of the party. Before she could leave, however, Kendall barred the exit with his arm. "So, do I get any thanks?"

Mikayla was caught by a moment of surprise but quickly regained composure. She put on a smirk and told him, "Be thankful I don't tell Bagrov." Now it was his turn to be caught off guard. She used the chance to casually push him away and continue to the party.

She entered the convention room and found it to look just as she had researched. The ceiling was no higher than a regular office, but the room seemed to take up at least half the floor. Windows lined one side of the room but didn't have the best view. Tables covered in fine white cloth and tall wine glasses encircled a wood-paneled dance floor. A full bar stood in one corner, and a six-man band played classical waltzes at the front of everything. The room was packed with people of all ages dressed in formal evening dresses and suits.

Spotting a brunette in her late twenties talking to another woman of about the same age, Mikayla went over and greeted her with a zealous "Kiss, kiss!" drawing a few others to glance at the new arrival.

As she had expected, the woman looked utterly confused; however, she reciprocated the greeting out of embarrassment.

Glad that the first step was going according to plan, Mikayla continued her little act: crinkling up her nose in playful disbelief, she explained, "Do you not remember me, Katarina? Sonja Vinter! Maybe you have better memory of party in Paris, ja?" she threw in with a little wink. "So many good times!"

The woman, obviously trying to remember at which party she met this boisterous woman, replied with a little more enthusiasm than necessary, "Of course! How could I forget?"

Before Katarina could get the chance to say anything else, Sonja continued, "Oh, but look at me, talking too much! I heard you had child. A boy, no?"

"Yes, Alexander."

"Adorable!" She then placed a friendly hand on the friend, and joked, "I thought this one never settle down," before walking away laughing.

Once Sonja had made her way across the room, Katarina mentioned to her friend, "You know, I can't remember her too well. But I used to go so crazy at those parties; who knows what kind of characters I met?"

Everything was running smoothly. The party was already in full swing when she arrived, and by now there were others who could vouch for Sonja Vinter being there as a friend. But when she finally spotted Bagrov, she was unpleasantly surprised to find a beautiful red-head flirting with him. Mikayla went through the guest list in her mind and couldn't remember anyone of that description being on it, realizing that by the way she was hanging all over him, she was probably invited later for _other_ purposes.

A little snag in the plan—she'd just have to work around it.

She went over to the bar and ordered two glasses of vodka. While the bartender was talking to someone else, she discreetly slipped in a powder that would make the drink highly potent.

Resuming her strut, Sonja made her way over to Bagrov and the red-head. Clearing her throat and sticking her bare leg slightly out of the slit in her dress, she forced the two to look her way. The red-head scowled, but Mr. Bagrov's eyes involuntary roamed the figure before him. "Good evening, Mr. Bagrov," she began with a smile. "I'd shake your hand, but I need someone to take this glass first."

"Ana," he whispered to the red-head without taking his eyes off the blonde, "why don't you go talk to Gladstone." Ana gave no reply but a glare toward the blonde before obediently leaving. Bagrov rose from his seat to meet the new woman. Taking the glass offered to him, Bagov inquired, "And you are…?" before taking a large swig of the drink.

"Sonja," she replied, offering her hand.

Bagrov accepted and kissed it. "Charmed," he commented. His eyes couldn't help but roam hungrily once again. "You are a very beautiful woman," he complimented, downing the rest of the drink. "But I meet many beautiful women. What makes you different?"

"Dance with me, and I'll show you," she told him, placing a gentle hand on his chest and then turning abruptly to walk toward the dance floor. When she turned back around, Mikayla could see that he had followed—they always do.

Sonja was suddenly brought toward Bagrov, his thick fingers closing around her waist. She let him take her hand and tried her best not to look repulsed. At least he was a good dancer. The two performed several difficult moves before falling back into a casual waltz. "You dance very well, Sonja."

"It takes a good partner," she replied with a smile. "What even more impressive is how you manage to make profit in this economic climate. How do you do it, Mr. Bagrov?"

Taken back by the unexpected comment about business, Bagrov replied, "Twenty-five years of knowledge and experience—that it is how. I am happy you appreciate the difficulties of running a successful business."

"Oh, but Nikolai—tonight we do not speak of difficulty. Tonight, you enjoy yourself, ja?"

Taking this as a cue, he started to move his hands farther down her dress. However, Mikayla quickly pulled them back up. Bagrov looked as though he would turn very angry, but Sonja kept her composure and merely explained, "Not here. Perhaps we go somewhere more…private. I hear your office has nice view of Gotham." She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I be waiting, Nikolai."

Sonja left him on the dance floor, heading for the main doors. On her way out, she passed the woman from earlier and let her know, "I must be going, darling, but we talk soon, ja?" Before Katarina could even reply, Sonja exclaimed, "Ciao!" and left the party.

Mikayla turned on the EMP override for the hallway and elevator car and made her exit. Taking the elevator up to the top floor, she hoped the alcohol would make him not question her knowledge of his office's location.

She looked at the door and wished she had found some other way or had the resources to get past that retinal scan. According to what she researched, it was some special model that even checked to make sure the user was conscious. The door, on the other hand, wasn't actually that thick and could've been easily knocked down, but that would've ruined the whole "discreet" angle of the plan. Luckily, no cameras were set up in his office; he didn't like the idea of being watched. However, that meant he felt it necessary to carry around a portable alarm trigger somewhere on his person. She'd only have one chance.

By the time Bagrov arrived, Mikayla could see the effects of the drink start to take their toll. He tottered a bit as he walked over, and his eyes seemed a little hazy. Balancing with a hand against the wall, he tried to lean in to her, but Sonja placed a finger on his lips and replied, "No, no, Nikolai—I want to see that view first."

At least he complied with that. Placing his hand on a sensor pad, Bagrov performed the retinal scan and punched in a code and then opened the door to make his way inside. As she entered the office, Mikayla discreetly placed an adhesive foam pad on the door so that it wouldn't lock and record another opening.

The office was very nicely furnished with a leather couch, dark wood bookshelves, and a mahogany desk among other things. There was a fireplace on one side and a large portrait above it. Bagrov was situated by the mini-bar on the other side of the room.

Sonja made her way over to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows that stood behind his desk. She felt the cold glass through her glove, sending a shiver down her spine. Looking out over the dark city and thinking of all the corruption that she needed to stop, Mikayla steeled herself for what she had to do.

She felt Bagrov's intoxicated breath on her shoulder as he flipped her around and threw himself at her. He began to vehemently kiss her, shoving his tongue down her throat as he let his hands travel down her back.

Mikayla screamed in protest in her head, her thoughts shouting _"disgusting bastard"_. But she kept it up until she could finally get to the syringe that she'd been hiding on a garter. She discreetly pulled it out and then injected the eight-hour knock-out drug into his neck.

Bagrov instantly collapsed to the floor. Mikayla towered over him, wiping her mouth vigorously. "Men like you make me sick," she hissed, finally changing back to her natural American accent. She ate a few tic tacs from her purse and then made her way over to his desktop.

That had been another problem: all of his files were on this main computer, not connected to any external networks. It made hacking in a much harder challenge than she had time for. She normally would've just snuck in at a later time, but the electronics in his office only turned on with the successful door code and scans. But now that she could finally start up the computer, Mikayla could get to work.

Mikayla took off her bracelets and clicked them together. The action caused them to unfold into a keyboard that proceeded to project a holographic monitor screen. She pulled a cable out of the side of the device and plugged it into the USB port of his computer. Her system automatically code-broke the encryption sequences and used them to enter as Nikolai Bagrov without storing a login attempt on the system. The start-up appeared on her monitor so that she could navigate the computer remotely.

Knowing what she was searching for, it didn't take her too long to find the emails and documents that incriminated Bagrov and several others. "You sick pigs have been busy," Mikayla remarked as she read through everything. "This should be enough evidence to put you and your friends away for a very long time." She produced a dark laugh, amazed at almost how easy this crucial, final part was in comparison to everything else.

Mikayla pulled out a piece of metal from her necklace that in actuality was a disguised flash drive. She downloaded the necessary files off the main computer and then fixed her necklace. From her computer, she forced a reboot that would wipe all memory of searches and file openings. Finally, she signed Bagrov back in on his main computer and opened a site she knew he'd be visiting around this time of night.

Turning off her computer and putting the jewelry back on, Mikayla crouched over Bagrov, using the handkerchief from her purse to wipe of the lipstick. She brushed off any blonde hair she could find and dabbed some cover up on the injection site. Mikayla went to the mini-bar and pulled out the strongest vodka she could find and got a glass, pressed it to Bagrov's lips, and poured a little bit of the drink in. She left both the bottle and glass by the computer.

She was about to move Bagrov into the chair, making it look like he'd come in and passed out for the night, when a figure appeared in the doorway. Mikayla immediately got into a defensive position, but she smiled and put her hands up once she realized it was Black Canary. It was almost a pleasant surprise—Black Canary had always been one of her favorite Justice League members. But what was she doing in Gotham City? In the same office she was breaking into?

"I hope you entered without any disturbances," Mikayla stated in a neutral tone. "It took me a great deal of effort to keep my activities secret."

"So what activities are going on here exactly?" the heroine questioned, hoping to find out what her actual view on this job was.

"You _are_ Black Canary, right?" After receiving an affirmative nod, she replied, "Well, the Justice Leage doesn't have anything to worry about here. In fact, I'm about to blow a gaping hole in the Eastern European sex trade."

"I'm not here to arrest you," she assured her. Canary looked around and frowned a bit. "Do you really think this was the best approach?"

Mikayla looked back at Bagrov with a repulsed scowl. "Don't worry: he's just drugged out. The sick pig will wake up tomorrow thinking he stayed the night sleeping off the worst hangover he's ever had. He won't remember any of this."

Canary continued in a softer tone, "I meant how you reached this part."

Taking a pause, Mikayla replied, "When you're an individual without the backing of a huge organization, sometimes you have to resort to undesirable measures in order to attain justice. And when I think of all the innocent girls who fall into the hands of men like him, I realize the things I have to do sometimes would be the least of their worries."

"You don't need to compromise yourself."

Mikayla looked down in shame. She felt like a child being scolded. In a voice with even more hesitation than before, Mikayla pleaded, "Please, don't judge me incorrectly. I do maintain reasonable boundaries."

Black Canary lightened up and told her gently, "Hey, you don't have to defend yourself to me, and you don't have to be ashamed. You're a strong, clever, young woman and very impressive in the field, especially considering that you're working solo. In fact, you've even impressed some people who would like to speak with you."

Mikayla recalled the night she met Robin; could it be that the dark knight himself wished to talk to her? She remained calm and mused aloud, "You couldn't possibly be inducting me into the League; I'm too young and inexperienced. So what _will_ we be discussing at this meeting?"

"Why don't you finish up here, and we'll talk about it once we get to HQ, Mikayla."

Her eyes shot open. Mikayla felt the security of her disguise shatter around her. Completely losing her composure, she practically yelled, "How did you—?"

"You really think we'd set something up without knowing who you are first?"

Mikayla broke eye contact and looked down angrily, clenching her fists. "I put so much care into concealing my secret identity, yet you managed to discover it," her tone dark and strained. "Who knows how many others have done the same."

Realizing the obvious exasperation in her attitude, Black Canary let her know, "If it's any comfort, it took _the_ Batman a lot of work and a relatively long time to find you, and only a select few of us know everything." Adding in a little smile, she told her, "You've done just fine."

Still looking down, but feeling a little more confident after that assurance, Mikayla inquired, "How many know my full identity?"

"Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, and I. Robin helped find out who you are, but he doesn't know the classified parts, let alone that they exist."

With a small smirk, Mikayla joked, "Well, so much for government secret. But I supposed if any group was to keep important information under wraps, it would be the Justice League." She made her way over to look out the window and contemplate. At first surprised, Mikayla was more satisfied that it was only a very small group; however, it was a little discontenting that the Boy Wonder helped figure her out. She'd have to find out how he deduced it.

Black Canary brought her out of thought by asking, "So, are you coming?"

Mikayla paused one last time and then turned to face her. "I might as well. I'll meet you at the corner of Fourth and Robertson. Exit without being seen; I need approximately ten minutes to wipe your fingerprints and adjust security cameras." She then turned to Bagrov and extended her hand. The body lifted up and relaxed into a sitting position in the chair.

Canary smiled. Before leaving, she stated, "Can't wait."

It was relatively easy for Mikayla to get out. After finishing clean-up, she returned to the party floor and re-entered the elevator, turning the camera back on. Upon saying good night to the front-desk guard, she retrieved her EMP device. Mikayla called a different taxi, which took her to the location where she was earlier picked up. She walked back to the old public restroom and found her duffle in the same place it always was and changed into her costume.

When she walked the block to the corner of 4th and Robertson, Mikayla found Black Canary already waiting for her on a black motorcycle. The heroine handed her a helmet and noticing the similarities in their outfits, Canary joked, "Copy cat."

Mikayla accepted the helmet and smiled as she climbed on behind her. "Inspired."

Canary found this to be an adequate response and let the engine roar. She could get used to this girl.

* * *

><p>**AN: _tak_ = thank you (Swedish)**

I hoped you liked this chapter! I don't usually write about scenes like this, but I thought it was necessary to show Mikayla's background and that not everything is perfect for her. Either way, the next chapter shouldn't be that long; it'll be more of an in-between between this and the first meeting with the Team.

I know there are probably VERY few people who have read this story (and probably even fewer that were interested enough to read this far), but I appreciate even the silent readers :) But if you have the chance, I'd appreciate a review even more, please!


	4. A Hero is Born

**A Silhouette in the Night**

Chapter four!

We left off with Mikayla successfully infiltrating a party at Bagrov Enterprises as Sonja Vinters in order to steal files from his office computer. She's in for a surprise, however: Black Canary showed up looking for Mikayla and has let her know that the Justice League wants to talk with her. Mikayla agrees to accompany Canary back to headquarters, but in which direction is she actually heading? And will she get caught in over her head?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Young Justice. Or Justice League. Just my OC. END OF DISCUSSION.

And a special thanks to **Sarah-Leigh-Black**, **Ravenclaw Slytherin**, and **Ominous Blue** for my first reviews! Thank you!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: A Hero is Born<strong>

**Hall of Justice – ****October 14, 21:03 EDT**

Mikayla had taken trips to see the Hall of Justice before, but only as a tourist—an observer. Now she was in the inner-sanctum with the blinds closed, about to enter the amazing world it hid behind its walls. It was a little overwhelming, but she regained her composure. Batman, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter were waiting for her and Black Canary, but Superman didn't seem to be coming.

Hoping she could lead with confidence, Mikayla began, "So, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Batman replied. "We have a proposition for you: this summer, we started a program called 'Young Justice'—a group of young heroes expanding upon their training by completing covert missions for the Justice League. Red Tornado is the base supervisor, Black Canary does training, and I assign missions. The Team is comprised of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian—niece of Martian Manhunter, Artemis—sidekick to Green Arrow, and Superboy."

"Super…boy?"

"Introductions will be made later—if you decide to join the Team."

Mikayla was taken back. She thought they would just be giving her a communicator of some sort for when she was in need of back-up; or maybe they needed her on an investigation. But they wanted her to be an actual member! Ok, so it wasn't quite the Justice League, but it was a start! She'd be in contact with all those heroes she grew up watching on TV and get professional training from the experts; she could hardly believe it.

Questions and doubts swam through her head at high speeds. She didn't know exactly how members or sidekicks were chosen, but she never expected to be one; her plan always focused on a solo act. She was so used to operating on her own, even in her normal life—could she really learn to be a team player?

Trying to staunch her excitement with weariness, Mikayla remarked, "It sounds like an organization of sidekicks. On that basis, how do I fit in? I didn't even meet any actual members of the League until tonight."

"We've already planned for that," Batman explained, "but first, we'd like to know the full extent of your powers. You've already demonstrated your talent for investigation and disguise. I've also researched and observed that you are an extremely skilled fighter. However, it was difficult to find anything that mentioned your psychic abilities. We'd appreciate it if you could explain the extent of these powers and any others I've failed to mention."

Mikayla paused to think about what she should tell them. They already knew her biggest secret, so she supposed only the psychic part would interest them. "I've only had psychic powers for about two years, so I haven't yet learned how to fully control or take advantage of them. I have telekinesis, but it can be…glitchy…on active forms such humans or animals; thus, at the moment, I only feel confident in using it on inanimate objects and unconscious beings. I need more practice, but I've been able to make force fields of varying strengths. I've been trying to learn how to perform telepathy, but all previous attempts have been weak or ended in failure.

"There is something that I _am_ successful in, though," Mikayla continued. She held out her hand, palm upturned. The others watched as a ball of what appeared to be flickering yellow fire manifested in her hand. "I can concentrate energy and use it as a projectile that explodes on impact. This was the primary reason my parents allowed me to begin taking up crime-fighting: it was my first superpower.

"As you probably discovered, my parents are researchers. Through them, I've had access to several testing facilities in which I've monitored my own progress. With this data, I'm able to detect what triggers what, and improve. However, external manifestations always seem to be easier than internal or insubstantial concepts. I believe that's why it's easier to move objects than create temporary force fields; produce a tangible weapon rather than forge a connection between two minds."

Batman took all of this into account. He did not call the others in to a conversation, but rather, seemed to come to a decision on his own. He began without hesitation, "Considering your mix of powers and abilities, and our availability, we've decided that you should take on Black Canary as your mentor. You will be scheduled to have weekly training sessions with Martian Manhunter to practice the areas of your psychic abilities that give you difficulty. But for now, we believe you could greatly benefit from her fighting skills."

At this time, Black Canary stepped forward and smiled. "So, what do you say?" she asked, offering her hand.

Mikayla felt almost giddy; she knew there had to be cons to this somewhere, but in that moment all she could see was the door opening to her future. She was finally ready to be on the inside; be part of something greater; reach her full potential. With a smile of her own, she returned the gesture and replied happily, "I'm in."

* * *

><p><strong>Camp Fillmore, New Mexico – October 15, 10:48 MDT<strong>

The sun beat down hard upon Mikayla's brow, and it hadn't even reached its peak yet. She could never remember a day in October being this hot. Then again, she'd never spent an October day in the desert.

The military base where she and Black Canary were located had been abandoned about a decade before, but it was refurbished as a training camp for the Justice League a couple years ago. It included a very extensive, changeable obstacle course, a target practice area, and several other more specialized facilities.

Black Canary stood on a raised platform at the center of the course, a bottle of water in one hand, a megaphone in the other, lording over her new pupil like a vulture. All friendly pretenses had been dropped for this exercise. She would not feel sympathy for Mikayla's need to quench her thirst or rest her body. She would not tolerate complaint.

Tomorrow, the Team was scheduled for the Failsafe exercise. If all went according to plan, they should be prepared to endure anything, even planning their own deaths. Mikayla was already going to be the new kid—she couldn't afford to fall that far behind. Even if she couldn't obtain that exact mentality from physical training, at least she would build up the endurance and perseverance.

Canary noticed Mikayla pause for a moment of rest while climbing the wall and immediately brought the megaphone to her lips: "No rest—two seconds can be the difference between life and death. Move!"

Mikayla did not talk back, although she had plenty of retorts in mind; instead, she just grit her teeth, bared it, and replayed her memory of the last 24 hours over again:

_/* Flashback */_

_**Gotham City – October 14, 06:00 EDT**_

_Mikayla was sleeping peacefully in her home, located in the suburbs just outside of downtown Gotham. All of a sudden, her cell phone started to ring. Checking her clock to find that she was woken up twenty minutes early, she almost fell back asleep; however, when it continued to ring, she realized it might wake up her younger brother._

_Besides—whoever was calling this early must have had a good reason. Reluctantly, Mikayla reached for her cell phone and answered groggily, "Hello?"_

"_It's Black Canary," was the short reply. Mikayla instantly sat up in bed. So it hadn't all just been a pleasant dream?_

_Sitting back and stretching out, she asked, "Isn't it 3:00am over there in Star City?"_

"_I was up, but that's not important. You're still on board with all this?"_

_Mikayla paused for a moment and then continued, "Yes. I even told my parents last night and got their blessing, so to speak."_

"_Excellent. Then let them know you'll be away with me this weekend."_

"_Sure. Am I helping you patrol Star City?"_

"_No; that'll be next week. This weekend is training. Today, eat well, hydrate, and go to bed early. Tomorrow at 07:30 meet me in the alley on Garfield between 25__th__ and 26__th__. You'll find an old phone booth—wait for me there. Arrive in full costume."_

"_Is that all?"_

"_Almost," Canary remarked with a pause. Suddenly, her tone seemed to turn very grave as she warned, "Prepare for the hardest training of your life."_

_Mikayla heard the line go dead and was left with an unsettling feeling. It would not be easy to sit through school that day._

_**Gotham City – October 15, 07:28 EDT**_

_Mikayla had followed Black Canary's orders to physically and mentally prepare for this day. She took care of her body, but could scarcely control her excitement, yet she felt ready for whatever they would throw at her._

_However, when she showed up at the out-of-order phone booth this morning, she was confused and slightly disappointed that it seemed to be just an ordinary phone booth. But when Black Canary arrived and walked straight for it, she was hopeful to believe that there must be _something_ special about it._

_Black Canary slid open the door for Mikayla, motioning for her to enter. The younger girl automatically complied with her feet, but her thoughts hesitated under the curiosity of what the heroine was planning._

_Lost in thought, Mikayla barely noticed when Black Canary suddenly shut the door and stated, "Black Canary, one-three. Authorize: Mikayla Clayton, A-zero-five. Location override, NM Fillmore."_

_And suddenly, everything turned yellow._

_There was a brief moment of dizziness before Mikayla realized she was no longer in the phone booth. What she stepped out of instead was a small, cave-like structure that opened into a relatively small, cement building. Mikayla walked to one of the open windows and found the sun to have dipped below the horizon—of a desert! Where, and when, was she exactly?_

_Mikayla hadn't even realized how heavy the silence was until a mechanical voice broke it, declaring, "Recognized: Black Canary, one-three." Turning back around, she felt a wave of relief upon seeing Black Canary suddenly appear._

"_What was that?" Mikayla immediately asked._

"_Zeta-beam tubes. Congratulations—you just successfully teleported."_

"_Can it be?" Mikayla could feel the nerd inside her mind spinning into overdrive as she examined her entrance more closely. Zeta-beams—of course! Why hadn't she thought of it before? Or rather, why hadn't she continued with that idea? Maybe she could talk to whoever invented them later. She had been attempting for ages to invent a method of teleportation; maybe she could try to make the system portable. "That's…well, incredible!"_

"_Glad to see you're impressed. And that you didn't throw up on your first time."_

"…_Thank you?"_

"_But we can get back to that later. Like I said yesterday, we are here to train you. Here, I am not your friend—I'm just your drill instructor. I will show no mercy and there will be no breaks until I say so, not even for water. Prepare yourself; the exercise will begin at 06:00 MDT."_

"_6 a.m.? Wait a moment. MDT…" Mikayla questioned aloud before recalling the acronym, even more confused than before: "Mountain Daylight Time?"_

_As Black Canary exited the building, she called over her shoulder, "Welcome to Camp Fillmore, New Mexico."_

_/* End Flashback */_

Mikayla had not realized how serious her new mentor was about the "no mercy" bit until she stepped on the training course. Canary had been right: this training was harder than any she had put herself through, mostly because of the lack of water. It didn't start out so badly when the sun was still in the lowest parts of its track. But as the orb of heat began to rise and strengthen, the intense training without water in the arid desert literally felt like Hell.

But she would not complain. She would not succumb to the temptation of passing out or giving up. Mikayla knew that besides the obvious training, she was also being tested—with what goal in mind, she didn't exactly know.

She had toiled in the hot sun for what felt like a day, but was probably only a few hours judging by the sun's position in the sky. Every time Mikayla wished to stop, she was yelled at to continue. But she quickly got used to it. Eventually, it took one to no words to get her started again. Her thoughts focused only on moving forward; any pauses were just lapses in the connection between her mind and body.

There was neither promise of rest nor prize of water; it seemed as though she was being put through this horrible trial simply for the sake of the struggle. If this were the case, then she would just have to demonstrate that her will was stronger. She had a passion deeper than trivial needs that would drive her forward, which would not be satisfied until she was able to prove herself to these heroes.

Whatever the physical cost, she sheltered the strong belief that it would be worth it in the end. Why else would they have put her through this if not to improve or mature in some way?

At least the heat wasn't so bad now that she was used to it; she'd never been as affected by it as others were anyways. Besides—if she just thought of all the bad conditions as one big, indistinct blur that was constantly pressing upon her, it took less energy to overcome than a hundred varying inconveniences.

Mikayla dropped to the other side of the wall and almost felt her ankles buckle. The weight they had to carry was much greater now that exhaustion added its heavy burden upon her back. But she was up in a moment, ready for the next obstacle.

She had landed in a walled, circular area with an exit on the far end. Immediately, she remembered from an earlier section what this was and dropped into a defensive position. In a few seconds time, three padded robots came at her. They weren't the most intelligent machines, but they _were_ made by the Justice League specifically for training, and consequently could not be taken lightly.

Somehow, Mikayla managed to find the strength within her to take them on. She had gained knowledge from her last encounter with the robots and quickly formulated a plan: they just needed to go down, hard, to be turned off; it didn't matter who actually did it.

In that case, the most important part was devising a way to expend the minimum amount of energy to get past; she didn't have a joule to spare. Mikayla remained on the defensive for the most part, searching for a moment to attempt a break for the exit. In the mean time, she ducked and dodged punches and tackles, trying to make them crash into each other instead.

Two ended up doing so and fell to the ground, their programs reaching their limits. Mikayla's brief moment of success, however, was stolen by a quick blow stomach. She had flexed at the last second, but her reaction time was slowing down with the exhaustion, and the wind was knocked out of her.

As she went down, unable to catch her breath, the robot tried to land a kick on her. But Mikayla was ready to counter and grabbed the padded foot, twisting the leg in a way that allowed her to swing her own legs around and take down the body. Thus defeated, the robot turned off.

Mikayla could breathe again, but executing that quick action while she lacked the oxygen to back it left her feeling extremely light-headed. She felt like vomiting, but she knew nothing would come up but perhaps bile—she already threw up breakfast an hour or two ago.

Instead, she staggered to her feet and continued toward the exit. Mikayla had completed this challenge; she wouldn't let it go to waste. At least the next few obstacles were longer but relatively less taxing—army crawling, rings to a rope climb, zip line back down.

Dodging projectiles was harder, considering the severe decrease in agility. Paintballs and traps flew at her from two different angles. There was a point where a flying snare similar to the ones used by Batman caught Mikayla by the ankles: she had to do a one-handed back-handspring into a backwards somersault in order to avoid being in the line of fire so that she could release herself from the bindings. But she made it through without a single stain.

When she saw the track, Mikayla felt relieved that although her legs felt like solid lead, it would at least be something straightforward and monotonous that would help her drone out everything else. Of course Canary forced her to run a mile in her state under six and a half minutes, but at least she wasn't getting shot at it.

However, the mile left her completely spent for the next obstacle. Her body was already wrecked to a point beyond what could be believed humanly possible. It was nearing noon and the sun was blistering hot. Mikayla's breaths came out in wheezes and her vision went in and out of a blur.

Now the only thing that kept Mikayla going was self-dissatisfaction; her will to carry on remained, yet she could see the human frame was failing her. She could feel it collapsing, but refused to let it crash. Black Canary still spoke regularly through the megaphone, but she hadn't given any consent to stop. Mikayla had invested far too much in this; she would continue until some form of success was recognized. She couldn't think of any other option.

With every step, her body screamed in fiery protest, and Mikayla had to suppress the urge to follow suit. The next leg felt like a taunt: an obstacle course that looked almost like the kind you'd find at a children's party. But although colorful and padded, Mikayla could see this was no bounce house. Punching bags swung back and forth mechanically. The floor itself was a rope net. The length seemed to be a good fifty feet at least.

Mikayla entered and began to weave her way through. She had reached about halfway when a bag caught her by surprise, and in an attempt to avoid it, she lost her footing. As her leg plunged through the hole, another punching bag clobbered her in the face.

The room spun. Everything became double. There was a horrible ringing in her ears. But this time, there was no sturdy ground for her to get back up on. She could feel everything slipping away from her and tried one last time to at least get back on her hands and knees, her chapped lips barely able to form the defiant word "no".

But another punching bag caught her from behind before she could get up. Mikayla blacked out before she could even close her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Camp Fillmore, New Mexico – October 16, 09:44 MDT<strong>

Mikayla awoke in a haze. She tried to sit up but instantly regretted it. Her head swam, her chest burned, and she ultimately had to resign to lying back down.

Gradually, she became aware of a rhythmic beeping noise. It took a few moments for Mikayla to realize it was her heart beat on a monitor. Bitter smells filled her nostrils, and bright lights deterred her from opening her eyelids too widely. Finally able to recognize her surroundings, Mikayla next noticed the IVs in her arm. Her fingers unconsciously traced the tubes up to the bags of fluid they connected her to.

"I wouldn't play with that if I were you," a voice warned in a friendly tone. Mikayla turned her head slowly to find Black Canary straddling a backwards chair, leaning over the seat's back as though the heroine had been watching her.

Suddenly, everything rushed back to Mikayla, and she remembered it all: pain, thirst, exhaustion, and—worst of all—failure. She was unable to last until Canary's command. An anxious feeling of shame settled upon her, and the beeping sped up.

"Don't worry, relax," Canary told her, trying to calm down the worn out girl with a comforting hand. "You're okay." However, a grim frown fell upon her face and her eyes turned anxious. Canary retracted her hand, fearing that she was the cause for panic. Her tone more sullen than before, she sighed and looked away: "I'm sorry that I had to put you through that."

After all of that, Mikayla should've hated her new mentor, feared that she would send her through Hell again. Instead, the first words that came to mind were, "I understand." She knew Black Canary wasn't aiming to torture her. The test was in all probability ordered by the Justice League, but she didn't particularly loathe them yet either. A test must have some rhyme or reason; she wouldn't pass judgment until she knew more. However, it once again reminded her that the test had ended in disaster. "I'm sorry. I couldn't make it; I failed."

To her surprise, Black Canary laughed. Now _this_, on the other hand, inflamed Mikayla's anger. Noticing the sudden rigidity of the girl's features, Canary stifled her laughter and quickly defended, "I'm sorry, that was extremely rude. But, Mikayla—failed? You were amazing!"

That was an even bigger surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"That," Black Canary explained, "obviously wasn't just training. As you probably worked out, it was a test. Just because you were knocked out before you were told to stop doesn't mean you failed—actually, it added points."

"What?" Mikayla questioned impatiently.

"There was never going to be a command to stop. The point of the exercise was endurance, physical and mental. It tested how well and ably you work under constant pressure and increasing strain; and towards the end, the strength of your will.

"It's a point-based system. For every five minutes you remain in play, five points are added. For the lack of success in certain obstacles, such as getting hit by a paintball or not taking down a droid, points are deducted. If a person stops under normal circumstances for longer than five seconds to rest twice within the same half-hour period or once longer than eight seconds, the exercise ends. If a person is taken down due to a hit and hasn't passed out but doesn't get back up within ten seconds, the exercise ends. If a person does not complete an obstacle in the way ordered by his or her instructor, the exercise ends. Starting to get the picture?

"Since we're also gauging mental fortitude, the way a person gets out is also a factor: if you get out by any of the previously mentioned ways, fifteen points are subtracted; flat out refuse to continue, twenty points are subtracted; pass out from exhaustion, nothing is added or subtracted; depending on the circumstances of how you're knocked out, a maximum of twenty points is added."

Mikayla was silent, taking a moment to process it all. So this was the system she had been working against. Mikayla still didn't hate it, though; it all made logical sense. But if she hadn't failed, how had she done in actuality? Dreading that her score was most likely pathetic in comparison to others, Mikayla morosely asked, "So what's the average score on this?"

"This version of the course isn't made for heroes like Superman; it's for humans and those who are able to 'turn off' their powers for the purpose of the exercise—like Flash or a Green Lantern, for instance. Any use of superpowers is an immediate disqualification with a twenty-five point deduction. So with that bracket in mind, considering the environment, the fact that you're in constant action, and the lack of water, most people on their initial trial last around three to four hours and score between the high one hundreds and mid two hundreds."

"Then I must have earned, what, two hundred max?"

Black Canary smiled, almost letting slip another chuckle. But she thought better of herself and explained, "I'm sorry, but that's why I was laughing earlier: Mikayla, you lasted nearly six hours—you got a 355!"

Mikayla couldn't believe it. She didn't remember doing that well. Had she really lasted that long? "So, what exactly does that mean?"

"What does it mean? Mikayla, this course is mainly used by League members, not sidekicks; in your bracket, the only ones with initial scores that beat yours are Batman—who's, well, Batman—and a Green Lantern who's actually a marine."

"Seriously? No way… Has anyone on the Team taken this?"

"Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash have, but you blew all of their initial scores out of the water. And even now, Robin's best score is only about ten points better than what you just got on your first, which is always the hardest."

Now it was Mikayla's turn to laugh, though it ended in a violent cough. Getting back at Robin in small ways like this made her feel better about his discovering her secret identity.

"The League is extremely impressed. And, not going to lie, I'm really proud to have you," Canary intimated with a smile. "So get your rest—you've earned the day off. And to tell you the truth, you need it to recuperate. But this week you're starting patrol with me, okay?"

"Sure. Thank you, Canary."

"No problem, kid. But as my sidekick, we're going to get pretty close. You and I will need to communicate, on and off the field. So if you want, you can call me 'Dinah' while we're not on League business."

Mikayla was surprised that Black Canary would already share her identity. Not knowing what else to say, she replied, "You can call me 'Mickey', if you like," unable to think of a better offer than her nickname.

"Well, Mickey; I think we're going to make a good team."

* * *

><p><strong>Hall of Justice – <strong>**November 4, 4:25 EDT**

Over the course of the last couple weeks, Black Canary showed Mikayla the ropes to being part of the Justice League—taught her their rules, showed her the basic protocol, trained with her. Black Canary was trying to keep her new pupil's existence on the down low until Batman said otherwise, but that didn't stop her from taking the exceptional girl on a couple missions.

On one night, they even met Green Arrow. Mikayla immediately saw the relationship between the two, which she asked about and got a full account of later. She also heard the hero mention the name "Roy" a few times, but she didn't think it was necessary for her to know too much about his personal life.

But this had to be the day—why else would she have been called in? All the training and waiting had proven her endurance, but it could barely taper her excitement. Black Canary had told Mikayla about the Cave and the Team, trying to catch her up to speed. But her meeting had been postponed a couple weeks; apparently something had happened with the Team that deterred her arrival and detained her mentor for a weekend. Black Canary described it as a traumatic virtual training exercise; she had to think Fillmore, but to a magnitude far worse. Mikayla shuddered to think of what they must have gone through.

Batman and Red Tornado were waiting in the inner-sanctum, the blinds drawn once again. Did they really not have a better headquarters than this tourist trap? Mikayla followed Black Canary in, dressed in full costume.

Batman began immediately, "Mikayla: your vast skills and subsequent progress have greatly impressed the Justice League. I speak on behalf of the entire League in welcoming you into the Young Justice program." At this point, he let slip a small smile. It took everything Mikayla had in her to bundle all of her joy into a restrained grin.

"There's just one last thing—you'll need an alias. Do you have any ideas?"

Mikayla had been thinking about this for a while now. When she was an anonymous vigilante, codenames weren't important. She realized those days were over, or rather, changing; she had even changed her costume slightly—her tights now matched Canary's, and she wore a black collar, too. But she never wanted to lose her beginnings; those late nights and sacrifices were a large part of what made her who she was. Mikayla was to be a hero, but even still, she would always be that shadowy figure, racing across the dark rooftops.

"Yes; I do have one that comes to mind," said Mikayla, pausing for dramatic effect. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned to one side before stating, "Silhouette."

Black Canary gave a confident grin of approval. Batman nodded, turning, and then typed on the portal keyboard. "Step forward," he commanded, and Mikayla moved toward the entrance of the portal. Batman spoke up clearly for the machine and declared, "H-G override, Batman, 0-1; B, code white: Silhouette."

The machine scanned Mikayla with a bright yellow light in response and announced, "Recognized: Silhouette, B-0-8."

"Well done; you are formally in the system," Batman congratulated.

Mikayla felt like she was soaring on a cloud—she was officially in. Black Canary came up behind her and asked with a smile, "So, Silhouette—are you ready to meet the Team?"

Things felt as though they were moving too fast; so much good couldn't possibly happen all in one day. But Mikayla held her head high and confidently replied, "Definitely."

"Good," Canary responded, proud of her protégé's nerve. Entering into the portal, Canary called back, "Then I'll see you on the other side," and vanished into a flash of yellow light.

Red Tornado followed suit, but Batman had decided to stay behind. As Mikayla, or rather, Silhouette entered the chamber, he wished her "good luck" before she disappeared.

Batman paused for a moment of hesitation and then left the building. He really hoped he knew how to pick them.

* * *

><p>Yay! And so Silhouette is born! And next chapter, we meet the Team! I think it might include my version of episode 19, Misplaced (since we're all up to speed now) depending how long the rest of it is.<p>

I'll try to update by Friday afternoon, but considering the day I have tomorrow, might have to push it to Saturday.

Anyways, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed my story; I always appreciate it and love to hear comments! It's what keeps me updating, so please review!


	5. First Impressions

**A Silhouette in the Night**

GAHHH. Sooooo sorry that this chapter is almost a full WEEK later… I got behind in my schoolwork and had a research paper due, so I had to put this away for a while. Anyways, a big thanks to Ravenclaw Slytherin for reviewing—you rock my world!

We left off with Mikayla being offered to join the Young Justice program and become Black Canary's trainee. Mikayla made it through Camp Fillmore, the Hellish Justice League training camp, and managed to break a few records along the way. After a couple weeks of patrolling with Black Canary, Mikayla was officially inducted in to Justice League systems as the new heroine, Silhouette. Mikayla is excited that she is finally going to meet the Team—but will they feel the same way?

**DISCLAIMER**: Don't own Young Justice, Justice League, or Disney. If I did, pshh I'd chilling in the Watchtower rather than writing stories… jokes, I'd be writing stories in SPACE. Boom. Sadly, I just own my OC… *sigh* Ah, well.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: First Impressions<strong>

**Mount Justice – November 4, 17:25 EDT**

It was an exceptionally beautiful day in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. The sky was clear; the sea, a crystal blue; the breeze, warm and light. Everyone was excited that there was only one more day until the weekend, hoping they could spend it at the beach.

The peaceful mood seemed to carry over to the Cave. M'gann was in the kitchen, humming a song while she baked a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. Wally hovered around her, hoping to flirt his way to something sweet. Conner watched his "No Signal" channel, occasionally checking back to make sure the cookies were the only thing Wally was trying to get. Robin had whipped out his laptop, working on some new program. All were relaxed, hanging out in their civvies.

One member, however, was far from being at ease. Even in the kitchen, the rest of the Team could hear the fourth shout of "Again!" emanating from sparring floor.

"Artemis still at it?" Robin questioned.

"Judging by all the shouting, I'd say that's a yes," Wally replied, snagging the wooden spoon from the mixing bowl.

"She's been practicing with Aqualad since she got here. She barely even said 'hi' to the rest of us. Do you think she's mad at us?" M'gann worried aloud, fretting that she'd done something wrong to hurt her friend.

"Nah, she probably just had a bad day at school or something."

"I don't think so; she's been acting…distant since Halloween." After a grunt cut through the moment of silence, M'gann offered, "Maybe I should go check on her."

"Babe, just give her some space," Wally told her, placing a casual hand on the Martian's shoulder. "Artemis is a hostile girl; she just takes her anger out in hostile ways. Don't sweat it."

"For once, Wally's actually right," Robin commented, receiving a "hey!" from the speedster. "Just let her get it all out, or else she'll never feel like talking about it. Besides, better she takes it out in practice than on a mission or one of us."

M'gann acknowledged the advice, but couldn't shake off her concern. "Conner, what do you think?" she asked.

Turning to look at the Martian, he couldn't help but feel bad when he saw that look of distress in her eyes. Calmly, he answered, "Sorry; I haven't talked to her lately."

Her eyebrows knit with worry, M'gann telepathically asked Conner, _"Do you think she found out about…us? Maybe she's mad that we're keeping it a secret…"_

"_No way; how could she? We've been really careful."_

"_I guess you're right."_

Robin watched the two sixteen year-olds from behind the screen of his computer and smirked. Wally was sneaking a cookie, completely oblivious. How could anyone miss that relationship when they were always doing their telepathic thing together? But he'd leave them to tell the Team in their own good time.

Being so caught up in their worries about Artemis, the group didn't even notice that the main hall had gone silent. All of a sudden, they heard Black Canary's voice over the intercom: "Team, report to the main floor."

"Ugh, but it's a Thursday!" Wally complained. "Can't we at least wait for Canary training until tomorrow?"

"C'mon, Kid Lazy," Robin teased as he shut his laptop.

Annoyed, Wally decided to get back at the boy by speeding ahead, nearly knocking the laptop out of his hands. He reached the lobby in less than two seconds, but in a split moment, he processed two things:

First off, standing next to Black Canary was hands-down one of the most attractive girls he'd seen in his life. Then again, the bustier-leotard and tights were probably a big influence on that perception.

Secondly, he found Artemis sweaty and disheveled, as though she had been going all out in training. What _was_ she so mad about? But it looked like the new face was putting her in a better mood. He couldn't hear exactly what new girl said, but it made Artemis…laugh. _"So she thinks a stranger's so hilarious, but she can't even manage a chuckle for my jokes? Pffft whatever, who cares…"_

But these two distractions mixed together unfortunately caused Wally to trip up upon arriving and fall flat on the ground in front of new girl. "You have got to be kidding me…"

"The Wall-man strikes again," Artemis teased.

"Kid Flash, I presume?" the new girl commented with a smirk. But rather than watch him suffer, she extended a helping hand.

"What gave you the hint, sweet stuff?" Wally joked, receiving a casual smile as he dusted himself off. "Don't mean to pry, but…who are you?"

"I'm Silhouette," Mikayla answered, "Black Canary's new sidekick."

Looking between the two, Wally commented, "Okay, I can see the costume similarities, but how are you two related? Another niece, or are you two lovely ladies sisters?"

Placing her hand on Mikayla's shoulder, Canary explained, "You don't have to be related to someone to be their protégé." Though no one else caught it, but Artemis acknowledged the knowing glance Canary gave her and turned her head slightly away.

At this point, the rest of the Team walked in wondering what they were actually called in for when they didn't hear Wally groan in complaint. The six members crowded round the new girl, curious to learn about a strange face.

But Robin knew the girl—her normal appearance, her costume, her secret identity—even if he didn't know she was being introduced today. He hung back slightly, flashing Mikayla a cocky smirk; however, it faded into a straight line when it was returned with an equally confident grin.

Mikayla would not let Robin ruin her prospects as a valuable member of this team. She would do everything in her power to make sure Robin never felt like he had the upper hand. Upon observing the Team as a whole, she realized he was the only member concealing part of his identity with sunglasses. If he had reason to do so, then Mikayla assumed that maybe she should do the same; she was just glad she still had her domino mask on.

"Everyone," Black Canary announced, "this is Silhouette—my new protégé. She will be joining the Team, effective immediately."

"No offense, babe," Wally began by addressing Silhouette, then Canary, "but why are we adding another member?"

"There's always room for improvement. Weren't you all working towards getting Zatanna to join the Team?"

"That's different," added Robin.

"Explain."

"Well, for starters, you said 'new' protégé—that has 'rookie' written all over it, and we don't have any room for those," Robin argued. He knew that she was obviously not a beginner, but he wanted to see her reaction.

"And Zatanna isn't?"

"Excuse me," Mikayla stubbornly interjected, clearly frustrated by Robin's false description, "but I am definitely not a rookie. I have plenty of experience, and I have passed all the tests and trials required to reach this point. I deserve to be allowed to join this team."

The room went quiet for a moment before Artemis finally crossed her arms and let slip a small grin. "I like her." Moving closer and offering her hand, the archer amiably stated, "I'm Artemis, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you. If you want, you can call me…" Mikayla tried to think of something easier to say than Silhouette for when they were off-duty. In a moment of panic, she finished, "Mickey," and then silently cursed herself choosing her own nickname.

"Is that short for something?" Robin questioned.

"No," Mikayla responded immediately. She took a couple seconds to formulate a defense and then continued, "I watched a lot of Disney as a kid, so I guess it stuck."

Robin shrugged. She fabricated a story quick enough. If she wanted to keep her identity a secret, he wouldn't be hypocritical about it. Robin gave Mikayla a discreet thumbs up and a genuine smile, boosting her confidence ten-fold. "Welcome to the Team, Mickey."

Next, Wally came up to shake her hand with a smug grin and a wink, saying "Wally West—you can count on me for anything, okay, babe?" which earned an elbow in the ribs from Artemis. "What, I was just being friendly!" Turning back to Mikayla, Wally loudly whispered, "But don't bother with Mr. Shades over there. Bats won't let him tell anyone his identity."

"Yay! It's like having another sister!" M'gann exclaimed with a hug. "Of course I have twelve on Mars, but trust me, it's not the same. I'm M'gann, by the way, or you can call me 'Megan Morse'—it's my Earth name."

Seeing Conner standing in a very reserved pose, M'gann gave him a little telepathic reminder to greet the new member. "Uh, right…welcome. I'm Conner." Mikayla was a little disappointed that their most attractive member was so aloof.

Finally, Aqualad shook hands with Mikayla and said, "You may call me Kaldur. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I believe you will make a splendid addition to the Team."

After Mikayla had thanked everyone, Black Canary announced, "Now that all of the introductions have been made, I want everyone back here in five minutes, ready for combat training. Go."

As they left the room, Wally whispered to Robin, "This gig just keeps getting better!"

Five minutes later, everyone was suited up and ready to go. Black Canary had turned on the sparring platform, Silhouette still by her side. "Today," she began, "we will have individual matches against Silhouette. You need to become familiar with one another's techniques if you are to work together as a Team. Now, who wants to go first?"

Wally's hand shot up. "Ooh, I got this!" he eagerly declared. He casually walked over, an overconfident grin on his face.

"Isn't your arm broken?" Mickey asked, pointing to the cast on his forearm.

"Aww, glad you're concerned, but don't worry, babe—I can show you my moves with one arm tied behind my back," Wally boasted, placing his injured arm behind him.

Mickey turned to Black Canary, wondering if this guy was being serious. Canary jokingly rolled her eyes, and then nodded her approval to begin. Instantly, Mickey got into her starting stance and tauntingly beckoned Wally over. "Your move," she said confidently.

"Ladies first," the speedster countered, getting into an arrogant combat stance.

Mickey's mouth formed a crooked smile. Before he even knew what was happening, Wally was blocking a punch and then was swept off his feet onto the ground. The training floor displayed the message "Fail" next to his head.

Groaning, but trying to put it off with a pained smile, Wally remarked, "Now I can see why you're Canary's sidekick."

And again, Mickey helped him up. When he winced upon moving his arm, and Mickey tried to look at it, Wally pulled it away and protested, "Don't—ugh—sweat it, sugar; doesn't even hurt," before walking off to stand by Robin.

"So," Mickey resumed, "who's next?"

Artemis had watched with conflicting emotions. When they were talking upon her arrival, she seemed nice, confident, likeable—and then Wally started hitting on her. She couldn't tell who she was more annoyed with: Wally, for being his usual self, or Mickey, out of… jealousy? No. God, no… But still, was she really that unapproachable? Wally hit on every other girl around them, Conner probably never even spared her a thought, and she was taking her anger out by fighting her friend.

At least seeing Mickey beat the speedster made her feel a little better; the fact that he was still flirting, not so much.

"Why don't we have a battle?" M'gann called out with a friendly smile.

"Sure; you're move," Mickey accepted.

The battle lasted only about twenty seconds longer, with Mickey once again the victor. As before, Mickey helped her defeated opponent back on her feet. "Thanks," M'gann said humbly. "You're really good."

Artemis had to admit: she couldn't stay mad at M'gann for much longer, but seeing the Martian fall pretty fast involuntary lifted her spirits a little bit. It was also a relief that Mickey's offering a helping hand was a friendly gesture rather than flirting. Come to think of it, the new girl seemed to ignore Wally's antics pretty well. Artemis could come to like this girl. "I'll give you a shot, but you can have first move," Artemis offered.

"Great," Mickey responded with a smile, already feeling like she would be battling a friend.

The fight began with Mickey throwing a simple punch. Artemis felt confident for a moment as she dodged the mediocre attack that this battle would be easy. Suddenly, her feet were swept out from beneath her, and she had to somersault away to get back on them.

"_Ok, I should've seen that trick coming, but she's fast…"_ Artemis thought. In the next second, she jumped back into the fight. Artemis tried to find a hit on the girl, but she was blocking everything. Artemis did not let up, but after a minute of sparring, Mickey grabbed Artemis's kick rather than block it, used her own outside foot to sweep her opponent's ankle out from under her, then pinned her to the ground. Once again, the "Fail" sign glowed beside Mickey's defeated opponent.

Artemis picked herself up and was about to walk away when Mickey offered her hand. Remembering that she really didn't want an enemy on the Team, Artemis sighed and accepted it. Forcing a smile, she complimented, "You really are a good fighter."

"Thanks; so are you," Mickey responded, a true smile on her face.

Artemis walked off in a better mood. Turning to the members she still hadn't fought, Mickey questioned, "So, boys, who's up for a fight?"

A little intimidated by this new girl's bold challenge, no one really knew what to say. Robin hung back, wanting to observe her fighting style for as long as possible; Aqualad had a similar plan. Conner, however, finally stepped forward and declared, "Well, if neither of you are going, looks like I will."

Mickey smiled; this one was cute. Jet black hair, icy blue eyes, huge muscles—he really was a clone of the Man of Steel himself. This would be fun. "You think you're up to play my game?" she teased.

That one didn't sit so well with either of the other girls. Conner didn't catch on to the underlying tone very well, but he just stated, "You're move."

A playful smile crossed her lips as she initiated the battle. She treated every step like a dance, not even caring that her opponent could literally crush her like a bug at any given moment. At one point, Mickey even placed herself against his chest and briefly in his hold, but before he could do anything about it, she had quickly jabbed a few points in his arm that caused him to let go. Mickey just giggled teasingly and did a backhand-spring out of his reach. Conner's frustration increased, but his opponent just used it to tire him out and mess with him.

After a couple of minutes of this type of battling, Black Canary crossed her arms and shot her new protégé a look that commanded her to "get serious". Mickey sighed and began, "I'd love to keep dancing with you but…" before creating an opportunity and using it to take him down a few seconds later, "I still have two more people to battle."

When Mickey offered Conner a hand, he didn't even bother looking at it before storming off. Mickey could hear him grumbling, "You've got to be kidding me," and smiled. She'd make it up to him later.

Robin stepped forward next, seeing as it would be respectful to let their leader fight last. Already getting into position, Robin stated with a mischievous smirk, "You think you can play _my_ game?"

Mickey wasn't going to lie to herself: she was a little intimidated by Robin, mostly because he was being mentored by _the_ Batman. But she recalled that night in Gotham and the Fillmore record, and she regained the confidence she'd need to beat him once again. "Gladly; I've been waiting for this one."

Neither called first move; they just went at it. This time, Mickey seriously had to focus in order to keep her footing and take advantage of the smallest opportunities. He was a difficult opponent—strategic, precise, agile—but as long as she kept her composure, she would still be in the game.

But Mickey was quick, too. She knew Robin had been watching her style, so she had to change her technique every ten seconds or so to make sure he couldn't predict her moves. She forced him to react, put him on his heels, and after a little longer than a minute and a half, Mickey had the Boy Wonder pinned.

Robin sighed. He wouldn't hear the end of this from Batman. As he picked himself up and casually dusted off his shoulder, he looked at Mickey with a smile of sorts. Neither could really tell what emotions were going on behind each other's mask, and Mickey didn't know exactly what to expect from her opponent.

She was pleasantly surprised when he offered his hand and a genuinely friendly smile. "If you can do that to the enemy," he commented, "then we're turbed to have you on the Team."

"Um… 'turbed' to be working with you?" Mickey replied, unsure what the word meant exactly.

Finally, Aqualad joined Mickey on the training floor. "I believe it is my turn," he announced politely.

Mickey turned towards him and shook his hand, stating, "I'd be honored to battle my new leader."

Aqualad had a completely different fighting style than Robin. He was sturdier, more focused, and stronger. But even so, Mickey had fought guys like him before. She found one thing odd, though: he seemed to be holding back. It was probably just for training purposes, but Mickey was slightly disappointed that she wasn't fighting the Atlantean to his full ability. Considering this, Mickey had defeated him in a slightly shorter time than she had Robin.

When they shook hands afterwards, Kaldur stated with a friendly smile, "You are quite the formidable opponent. Welcome to the Team."

"RECOGNIZE: Zatanna Zatarra, A-0-3," announced the computer. A raven-haired teenager arrived in the Zeta-portal in a flash of yellow. "Hey, guys."

"Zatanna!" Robin called out. Checking himself, he continued, "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to drop by," said Zatanna, but seeing that they were all suited up, she offered, "but if you're busy, I can come back another time."

"Don't worry—we just finished," Artemis explained, "so why don't we get changed back and then talk."

After getting a nod of approval, all changed back in to civvies. Mickey had even brought a backpack of clothes just in case. When she emerged, she had donned a pair of light blue jeggings and a light gray tank top. She wore a casual, medium blue blazer with the sleeves rolled up and white sneakers. Mickey was thankful she always carried a pair of sunglasses and her colored contacts case just in case she ever needed a quick cover up.

When Wally saw Mickey walking out with the black Ray Bans on, he commented, "So, you hide your identity, too? Mysterious." Leaning in, he whispered, "I always like a good mystery."

"Alright," Black Canary clapped her hands together, "Now that you've all met Silhouette, I hope you'll do your best to make her feel at home. I should see all of you in two days; have a nice weekend until then."

Once Black Canary had teleported away, Conner, Kaldur, and Robin returned to the kitchen; M'gann followed them, and Wally followed her. Mickey would've followed, too, but felt more inclined to talk to Artemis. However, she felt out of place, since it looked like Artemis had wanted to talk with Zatanna alone.

But Zatanna didn't seem to mind. "So, who's this?" she asked with a hint of curiosity.

Artemis, realizing that it would take a bit longer before she could talk privately with the sorceress, made the introductions and restrained the urge to sigh: "Zatanna, this is Black Canary's new sidekick, Silhouette—but you can call her Mickey; Mickey, this Zatarra's daughter, Zatanna."

"Hey! Nice to meet you," Mickey greeted with a friendly smile and casual wave. "Are you joining the Team, too?"

Zatanna's face fell in surprise, which was soon replaced by frustration. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed, then repented, "Sorry, Mickey, please don't feel bad," before turning back to Artemis to continue her rant: "But new girl already has a go, yet I'm still banned from joining? I can't believe this!"

Again, Mickey felt offense should be taken. She restrained herself, however, and offered, "Overprotective parents?"

Not expecting to hear a response from the new girl, Zatanna's mouth formed a knowing smile and let slip a sarcastic laugh. "My dad is probably tracking my every move as we speak."

"Yikes. I know what you mean though: it took me nearly six months to convince my parents that I could fight crime."

With an ironic smile, Artemis commented, "My parents were completely against my fighting crime; Dad still is. I had to start behind their backs."

Mickey assured her with joking surprise, "Oh, don't worry: I said it took me six months to _convince_ them," and with a wink, "but that doesn't mean I wasn't already hitting the streets before then."

Crossing her arms, Artemis assessed with a devilish countenance, "Oh, yeah—you're going to fit in great. So, how do you like the Team so far?"

"Everyone seems really nice… especially that Conner kid, if you know what I mean," Mickey hinted with a grin, looking after the hallway he had gone through.

Artemis' eyebrows knit with annoyance. She was about to say something angrily when Zatanna lightly touched her arm and gave her a look to take it easy on the unsuspecting new girl. Straightening herself up, she explained, "Sorry to break it to you, Mickey, but he's taken."

Mickey instantly felt embarrassed. She must've looked so stupid! And then an even more upsetting thought occurred to her: "Are you…?"

Laughing at the irony, Artemis replied, "No, but M'gann is, technically. They still haven't told anyone, but everyone knows they're a couple. Except Wally—that kid's about as thickheaded as they get."

Slapping herself in the forehead, Mickey lamented, "Ugh, I must've looked like such an idiot! And so much for first impressions—they both must hate me!"

"Seriously, don't worry about it: they're both really nice—well, M'gann more so than Conner. If you just talk to them, everything will be fine."

Zatanna looked at Artemis, making the archer realize that her reasons for being mad at the two were really just as baseless. Whatever way you looked at it, they were both really nice friends, so what was the point of staying mad? They had their reasons for keeping their relationship secret, and considering her own circumstances, she ought to respect that.

Glad she had finally made her mental peace with the couple, Artemis directed with a smile, "They'll be in the kitchen just in case you want to apologize or something. Take the hallway over there, and it'll be on your right."

After thanking her new friends, Mickey walked off to make amends. She found the kitchen easily enough. In it, Robin was beating Wally in a videogame, and Aqualad was talking to Conner while M'gann busied herself with making food.

Clearing her throat, Mickey asked hesitantly, "Um, Conner, could I talk to you for a second?"

M'gann and Conner looked at one another briefly. M'gann seemed to give a reluctant nod, before he replied, "I guess," and entered the hallway. Still frustrated with his battle against the new girl, Conner leaned apprehensively against the wall and looked away.

Seeing as though Conner would not be the one to start conversation, Mickey began, "Look, I just wanted to say… I'm sorry." That at least got him to turn her way. "I was being really rude earlier, and I promise that I'm not like that—usually. I'd really appreciate it if we can pretend like that never happened; you know, a clean slate. Would that be ok?"

Conner paused for a moment, not knowing what to make of the girl. First, she treated their battle like a joke and _still _beat him without breaking a sweat. Now, she was apologizing and embarrassed? He had a feeling she had to have some sort of middle ground; hopefully one he could learn to work with. Sighing, he gave in, "Sure."

Mickey smiled in return and, offering her hand, stated, "Hi. I'm Mickey. It's nice to meet you."

Staring surprised at the hand, he eventually returned it with a firm handshake and a small smile of his own. "Conner. Nice to meet you, too."

Back in the kitchen, Wally had just lost to Robin for the second round and decided to resume flirting with M'gann. But the Martian was distracted by Conner's being alone with Mickey, whom she found to be a bit…flirtatious. Noticing her disturbance, Wally slipped in, "Why so blue, green-cheeks?"

"It's nothing, really. I'm just a little…bothered by Mickey at the moment," she added in a whisper.

"Mickey? Babe, don't worry—you're always my number one Martian."

"I was thinking about the battle…"

"Don't sweat it, sweet lips; that girl is just a fighting machine." Pausing for a moment, he exclaimed "Hey!" then leaned in to whisper, "Maybe she's actually an android! Why don't you read her mind to see if she's organic or whatever—nothing intrusive, just a quick check?"

M'gann debated whether it was really okay to do so, having been told the opposite on numerous occasions. But when she heard Mickey's laughter as they walked back through the door, M'gann let the moment reason out that a brief scan wouldn't be so bad.

Forging the connection discreetly, all she could see were numbers. Then all of a sudden, she felt like she'd been kicked in the chest and lost the connection.

It was almost scary: without turning her way, Mickey plainly stated, "I can feel your presence in my mind," before making her way back out of the kitchen.

M'gann didn't know what to say. However, Wally theorized, "Maybe she's secretly another Martian."

Surprisingly, Mickey called from the hallway, "Actually, I'm just a human with psychic abilities."

Wally, a little annoyed, just exclaimed, "Seriously?"

"And really good hearing!" was the far-off response.

Distressed that she had already upset the new girl, M'gann fretted, "I should go talk to her," before levitating off. Upon finding her, she began, "Mickey, I'm really sorry! I don't know what got into me. I don't usually do things like that, and—"

"Don't worry; it's okay," Mickey cut her off with a smile. "Besides, I really don't blame you since I _did_ go a little overboard on your guy. Sorry about that, by the way."

Shocked by her hinting at the relationship, M'gann blushed and looked away nervously, muttering, "My guy? I—I don't know what you're talking about…"

Quickly thinking of a way to save the Martian from further embarrassment, Mickey continued, "Sorry, I figured it out on my own. I don't know about the others, though," she lied.

With a beaming smile, M'gann asked, "Really?" After a nod of assurance, M'gann gave Mickey friendly hug and whispered, "Thank you." Pulling back, she put on an even wider smile and said cheerily, "Hello, Megan! I know what would make this perfect: homemade cookies and milk! If you like, we could go have some before Wally finishes them all off."

"Sounds great."

By the time they returned to the kitchen, Artemis and Zatanna had already rejoined the group. Most of the members smiled as the two walked in. Mickey had never experienced a happier moment in her life; she felt that this place could easily become a second home.

* * *

><p>AGAIN, EXTREMELY SORRY FOR THE LATENESS. I already explained myself in the beginning, but along with all the homework, I do have a lot coming up this weekend.<p>

And just so you know, I'm going to diverge from the series starting with episode 21, but will keep 19 (misplaced) and 20 (coldhearted). My reasoning is that based on the commercial I saw, it looks like some craziness is about to go down that I don't want messing up my future storyline. If it turns out I was wrong, then whatever, I'll include it.

So please review and I will try my best to update soon!


	6. Misplaced & Sleepless Nights

**A Silhouette in the Night**

Updated! Woo! This chapter has parts from the episode "Misplaced", but I don't want the entire chapter to be on it.

Previously…. Mikayla met and battled the Team, proving her fighting skills superior the other members, and met Zatanna. Deciding to conceal her identity, Mikayla donned the nickname "Mickey". Although she initially got under the skin of a few of her new teammates, Mickey had made her peace with the entire Team by the end of the day. But how long can that last? And when she is thrown on her first mission before she can even practice with the Team, will she help or just get in the way?

**DISCLAIMER**: I~ don't~ ooown~ Youuung~ Jus~tice~ / car~toon~net~work~ dooo~oesss~ / and~ so~ does~ D~CeeEEE~ and~ W~BeeEEE~… oohh woahh~…

I'm sorry – I have "We Are Young" by Fun stuck in my head. I don't own that either.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Misplaced  Sleepless Nights**

**Mount Justice – November 5, 19:47 EDT**

The Bioship flew in through the cave doors and settled on the launch pad within the mountain. Batman, Red Tornado, and Zatara waited on one side, Wally, Robin, and Kaldur on the other. As a ramp formed from the back of the spacecraft, Conner and M'gann appeared from within. Conner carried huge crates of supplies on his back while M'gann levitated boxes of groceries on either side of her.

"Did you get everything?" Batman questioned curtly.

"Everything on your list, Batman," the Martian responded cordially. As M'gann placed the boxes on the ground, she added, "Plus groceries."

Wally, enticed by piles of food, quickly made his way over. "Cookie fixings?" he asked impatiently, scanning the box hungrily with eyes in search of his favorite snack.

"Snicker doodles."

"Babe," he stated dreamily, "you rock my world."

As Aqualad helped Conner open the crates, the automatic doors slid open, allowing Artemis, Zatanna, and Mickey to enter. Mickey knew she could've helped with the lifting, but she wasn't so sure spending an hour or two alone with the happy couple would have been the most comfortable experience. Instead, she opted for talking with Artemis while waiting for Zatanna's arrival by Zeta.

"Glad you're back, Zatanna," Mickey stated, happy to see another friendly face again.

"Does this mean you're officially joining the Team?" Artemis asked, hoping for a positive response.

The three girls stopped to look over at Zatara, who was muttering an incantation to move a crate. Zatanna looked visibly distraught, and Mickey immediately realized that her father was probably the main obstacle to her becoming a member of the Team.

"I don't know; Zatara's _so_ overprotective. I mean, just getting him to let me visit takes a full day's wheedling. I wish he'd just give me a little space." What she didn't realize was how careful we should be about what we wish for.

All of a sudden, the three adult heroes vanished into thin air. The crates they'd been carrying smashed into pieces on the ground, sounding supplies and food everywhere.

"DAD!" Zatanna cried out as the rest of the Team gasped. They waited for the three to come back, held their breath in the hope that it was just a trick of the eye. But after a few moments, the teens realized that there was no other explanation: they were gone.

**Happy Harbor – November 5, 20:26 EDT**

Robin and Zatanna remained at the Cave, hoping to find a solution to their imminent problem. As more posts sprang up across the internet, they came to realize that adults all over the world had similarly just disappeared. Aqualad was already making his way to Atlantis to see if they had suffered the same fate in the ocean.

The rest of the Team, in their civilian guises, had set up a refugee center in the Happy Harbor High School gym. Kids from all across town had flocked there once they saw other being guide to the site. The ages ranged from babies to high school students, but all stood or sat huddled in groups, the older children acting as babysitters for the frightened little ones.

Megan and Wally entered this scene carrying another parentless toddler. Looking around them, Wally felt slightly disheartened. The gymnasium appeared to house about thirty people so far, which meant there were probably a hundred more children wandering about the streets, aimlessly looking for their lost parents. And this was only the tiny town of Happy Harbor; he didn't want to imagine the panic and worry of a whole world of children facing the same problem.

In the bleachers, Mickey was talking to a group of about ten twelve to fifteen year olds. In the center of the gym, Artemis had set out a wrestling mat for a group of toddlers to gather on. As they walked closer, Wally realized Artemis was attempting to entertain the children by…singing? He had never heard her sing before. She wouldn't actually have been half bad if she could remember the lyrics to the nursery rhyme she was singing.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star… um… Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!"

The children laughed, causing her to produce a sweet laugh as well. It comforted Wally to know that there was still some joy in the place.

Seeing that the other three had gathered at the center of the gym, Mickey left her group to join them. She got there in time to hear Artemis ask Wally, "Did you call home?"

Artemis seemed genuinely distraught by his immediate response of "No answer." It pained her to see that even Wally lacked his usual cheerful attitude. So she tried, "You couldn't Zeta there?"

"I've been collecting kids all day; I don't need to see another empty house." Both fell into concerned thought. Artemis couldn't help but think of the depressing scene if Wally had arrived at his house only to find it cold and bereft of life. She hoped in vain that she wouldn't have to cross the same despair when she returned to her apartment to find an empty wheelchair.

Mickey could hardly focus, her thoughts taking her back to Gotham. As soon as she had heard the news, she Zeta-ed over to Gotham City and hotwired a motorcycle, seeing as the metro was down. Reaching her home, she bounded up the front porch and unlocked the door, uncertain of what she would find.

Calling through the house, she quickly realized that her parents were missing. But she could hear a meek voice calling back to her from upstairs. Making her way into her brother's room, she found he had hidden himself under the bed with a flashlight and phone. She was beyond relieved to see that at least he was alright and comforted him as he cried for the parents he watched disappear before his little eyes.

Mickey explained that she needed to help the other children who were alone and that he had to be a brave little soldier. From that point on, he did not cry. Finding a teenage neighbor with two younger siblings four doors down, she asked if the girl would watch over her younger brother until she returned. The neighbor accepted the task without question; she wouldn't be leaving home for anything that night anyways.

Mickey had collected herself and returned to Happy Harbor about half an hour after her original departure. Having heard over the com link about using the high school as a center, she immediately made her way over there, picking up a few kids along the way.

But the atmosphere was no different here than it had been on those quiet streets of Gotham. The melancholy even hit heroes.

At least Conner broke a little bit of the tension. "I got three more," he announced as he walked in looking like a Kryptonian jungle gym. M'gann smiled sweetly and Mickey couldn't help but giggle; she needed something to make the gloomy mood a little more bearable.

Just then, all four got message alerts on their phones. Checking the screens, they were all marked "From: Robin" and displayed the same note—"Regroup at the Cave. Suit up." After talking to the oldest among the children, the Team left the building and headed back to the Cave as fast as they could.

**Mount Justice – November 6, 00:02 EDT**

The main floor of the Cave felt so large and empty now that it was just them. Zatanna took a deep breath and looked to Robin for reassurance. His confident smile was all that she needed to step forward and attempt the locator spell. Chanting the incantation, a red dot appeared on the holo-map.

"Coordinates locked—Roanoke Island. You did it," Robin congratulated.

But Zatanna didn't feel much more accomplished. She wished with all her heart that her dad was there, by her side to do the spell—that her last thought of him before he disappeared hadn't practically been that he would do so.

Immediately, Aqualad began devising a strategy for a mission against a powerful magician. He had Robin pull up research and satellite feeds on the area as he listed basics. Mickey was glad that she had spent those weeks with Black Canary on missions, else she might have been left clueless as to this whole "team parameters" thing.

Aqualad listed off objectives for all members, but hesitated on Silhouette. They would be going against powerful magic; would fighting skills be enough to aid their success?

Impatient for an assignment, Silhouette asked if there was anything she could do.

"Considering your skills lie in the field of combat, I am unsure whether this would be the appropriate mission for your debut."

Frustrated by the underestimation and fueled by a desire to thrash whoever was responsible for this catastrophe, Silhouette threw her arms out wide and ignited two flaming orbs of yellow energy. The Team members all stopped what they were doing to stare with incredulity at her unexpected power. "This is my war now, too. I choose to fight it," she declared more calmly but with the same fierce intensity.

Aqualad sighed, realizing that they would need all the power they could muster. "And you will. Silhouette, flank with Miss Martian, primary objective being projectiles. Miss Martian, on our way, please explain our telepathic system to Silhouette. We must have no hesitation."

Aqualad was about to continue when all of a sudden a thunderous crack sounded through the Cave. When the Team turned around, to their surprise, a young boy had appeared. As the Team immediately crowding around the boy, Aqualad stepped forward and inquired, "Where did you come from? Who are you?"

The boy looked as though he could care less that he was surrounded by costumed heroes. Instead, he rather confidently requested, "Quick, read my mind!"

Upon doing so, M'gann gasped. "He's…Captain Marvel."

Silhouette, completely confused as to how on Earth that could be possible, was taken aback. And Wally was even more doubtful. He sarcastically began, "Yeahhh and _I'm_ Speedy Gonzalez… Look, just because he _believes_ he's Cap—"

"Gee, Wally; do I really have to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get on your good side?" the boy countered.

They all looked at each other, except Silhouette who was slightly confused, and realized that it was the truth. And that it sort of fit…

He explained the alternate dimensions, how he could travel between them, and the plan for a coordinated attack on both fronts. As Aqualad talked of how to defeat the sorcery, Zatanna couldn't help but think negatively. There was always so much unpredictability about magic. This battle would not be easy.

**Roanoke Island – November 6, 00:46 EDT**

Klarion stood his ground on the pentagram. He knew the children were coming and that their infantile attempts to thwart their plans would be pointless. Robin's batarangs and Artemis' arrows were easily stopped in mere seconds. The weapons clattered hollowly to the ground, as he teased with a sadistic countenance, "That's the best you can do?" In the next second, a bolt of pure energy struck the ground before the two non-super heroes. Both barely had time to get clear of the direct explosion, but they were able to avoid the worst of the blast.

A force field quickly blocked out the three remaining male heroes. Zatanna's attempt to use magic against Klarion, a Lord of Chaos, was utterly useless and almost got her splattered. Miss Martian telekinetically threw rocks at Klarion's force field and Silhouette hit it with energy blasts. For a moment, it looked like it could work until Klarion started breathing fire at Miss Martian and created a fissure that divided the ground upon which Silhouette stood.

Kid Flash came up with a plan to harm Klarion's cat, but Klarion caught on and responded by changing his familiar into a giant saber-toothed cat. Silhouette made sure to steer clear of that thing.

All of a sudden, Klarion paused his attack. The crystal at the center of his pentagram began shaking and glowing blue. Realizing what must be happening on the other side, he commented, "So, teamed up with the grownups? Teamwork is so overrated." Lifting his hand, he directed a surge of electricity at the children.

Kid Flash was able to dash away; Aqualad was able to control it with his tattoos. But Artemis and Robin had no defense—not even Silhouette was fast enough to find a way out. All three were thrown back by the vicious electric current.

Silhouette had never felt a sensation like this before—it was most likely the most excruciating pain she'd ever felt in her life. Electricity coursed through every part of her body until she thought her atoms might split apart. She lost feeling and control of different limbs one by one, her vision went hazy, and a ringing shot through her ears. Silhouette went unconscious as soon as she hit the ground.

When she awoke, everything was fuzzy. Robin and Artemis were already up and above her hovered a woman in a blue and gold costume. She heard Aqualad mutter something about "at a cost" before finally getting to her feet.

Holding her pounding head, she looked around to see what had happened. It wasn't until Zatara stepped forward that Silhouette finally realized Zatanna was missing. She watched Zatara plead for the return of his daughter, and protested with weakened strength when Fate refused. Fury built inside her, threatening to bubble over, but there was nothing she could do as she observed the final emotional exchange between father and daughter. Zatanna's desperate plea threatened to rip her heart apart.

As Zatanna fell to her knees, Silhouette joined Artemis and Robin in providing the only measly support she could come up with: a warm body to remind her that she was at least still alive.

* * *

><p><strong>Central City – November 6, 00:46 CDT<strong>

Wally caught the nearest Zeta portal and sped home. He wearily called out for his parents, afraid he'd get nothing in response. Instead, a wave of relief crashed upon him as he watched the two emerge from the kitchen. He couldn't run to them fast enough.

**Gotham City – November 6, 01:38 EDT**

Artemis stood by her door, afraid to enter. But as if by some sense, she could distinguish the rattle of her mother's wheelchair on the other side of it. The door caught on the chain and Artemis had to resist the urge to break it down.

When she finally entered, she looked down at the woman before her. Tears almost came to her eyes as she thought about all the conflicts, problems, and trials that had risen up over the years. Then she realized she didn't want to look down on her like that and kneeled on the ground so that they could be at eye-level.

She muttered softly, "Mom," and hugged her without explanation. Her mother did not question anything; she just hugged her back with all her strength.

On the other side of the city, Mickey was returning home as well. She had brought back the motorcycle and changed into civilian clothing when she knocked on her neighbor's door to find that her brother had already returned home.

Quickly cutting across her driveway and then rushing up the stone walk, Mickey unlocked the front door, calling out, "Mom? Dad?" throughout the still dark house.

Mickey couldn't be more relieved to see a light flick on in the master bedroom as its door opened on the second floor landing to reveal her worried parents. She couldn't bound up the stairs fast enough to embrace them.

**Mount Justice – November 7, 09:16 EST**

It was a relatively quiet Sunday morning. The weather was still exceptionally nice. But inside Mount Justice, a cloud of tension and gloom had settled in the hearts of the Team. Every member helped Zatanna's painfully slow transition to the Cave. Artemis straightened out her back as Mickey telekinetically placed the last box on the pile.

Mickey looked around at the room packed with unopened boxes. It looked like she had moved her whole home. Mickey's stomach did flips as she thought of how her life was completely changed because of one short event—one decision. She wondered if Zatanna would dread having to open every box and pore over the memories held inside.

"My room is right next door if you need _anything_," M'gann offered, her usual chipper tone missing.

"Thanks, but I, uh… could… use a little alone time, okay?" It took Zatanna everything in her power to keep a straight face while they were still watching.

"Of course," Artemis replied, immediately understanding.

As the group walked out, Robin took one last look back. Zatanna was such a passionate, carefree soul. He remembered the pain of loss and couldn't stand to think what it would do to her. "_She doesn't deserve this,_" he concluded, "_No one does._"

The door finally closed, shutting Zatanna in with her dark boxes of old memories. It took a few seconds for the tears to start flowing, but there was no doubt that they would arrive. Hot tears ran down her cheeks and she had to take gasping breaths as went over every loss, every mistake, every sadness that marked her new life.

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><p><strong>Mount Justice – November 8, 01:12 EST<strong>

An ear-piercing scream echoed through the Cave. It split the oppressive darkness with its shrill sound, finding every desolate nook and cranny.

Zatanna writhed under her covers. The sheets, slick with fresh sweat, felt like heavy chains, binding her to the terrors of the night. Distorted images of her father and Fate surged through Zatanna's mind, haunting every fiber of her sub-conscience.

The howl dissolved into sobs. Zatanna started and sat up; looking around the empty room, she realized that it had all been a terrible nightmare. Intimidated by how real and painful the illusion felt, she drew the covers around her and wept, her chest heaving hollowly against her wracked body.

M'gann was up in an instant. Worried for the well-being of her friend and new teammate, the Martian staggered out of bed and stationed herself outside Zatanna's door. However, clueless as to what consolation she could provide, M'gann hesitated to disturb the grieving girl.

She wasn't alone for long: about half a minute later, Artemis had emerged from the shadows of the hallway. She looked at Zatanna's door with worried eyes and could faintly hear the sobs on the other side.

The archer had decided to stay in the Cave for the day before returning to her normal life in the hope that she could comfort her friend; however, Zatanna had kept to her room the entirety of the Sunday. It was as though a dark cloud had settled within its walls, threatening an unending storm of misery.

M'gann looked over to Artemis, her gaze weary. In a whisper strained by despair, she asked, "What should we do?"

Artemis looked away, not knowing how to reply. Zatanna would need to come out of her room eventually, but when was the right time to talk to her? The poor girl just lost her father—her last relation. She was basically an orphan. It didn't take a car crash or a heart attack; she made a decision that she would have to carry around for the rest of her life. Would she ever want to talk again? They'd all just have to wait and see. Hopelessly, Artemis replied, "Is there really anything we can do?"

All of a sudden, Robin was by their side. Neither girl had it in her to make a joke about his ninja-ness while they were standing so close to such anguish. Robin didn't look like he was in the mood either: the corners of his mouth hung in a sad frown, his eyebrows furrowed with concern, and you didn't need to take off his sunglasses to see that his eyes were pained.

After a meek greeting by M'gann, Robin motioned towards the door and questioned, "Was it like this last night, too?"

"I don't know; she wasn't here."

"She was at home," Artemis explained. "Mickey told me that Black Canary was sent to stay with her." Pausing, she continued, "Gosh, can you imagine having to go home to an empty house after all that?"

Robin hesitated and then decided he didn't need to reply yes to that. However, he did tell the others, "You girls can go to bed. I need to talk to her," in an even tone.

Artemis wanted to yell at the boy—she was their friend, too! She was about to protest the dismissal when she saw the distressed expression on his face and remembered that this was about Zatanna. If Robin seriously thought that he could do something to help their friend, then she should trust him to do so. Against every ounce of will in her body, Artemis forced herself to subdue. It was for Zatanna.

Giving a nod of approval to first M'gann and then Robin, Artemis left the hallway, and M'gann soon followed suit. Once everything was clear and the only noise that could be heard was Zatanna, Robin softly knocked on the door.

"May I come in?" Robin asked. The sobs seemed to quiet down a little. He could hear the muttering of a few indistinct words before the door opened a crack for him.

He closed the door upon entering but remained by the threshold. Zatanna looked up as though she would greet him, but her head drooped back down as a fresh set of tears fell down her face. Robin silently made his way to her bed and sat on the edge.

When Zatanna looked back up, he could easily notice the signs of her crying and the restless night: puffy red eyes, dark bags, wet cheeks. She looked away slowly, ashamed of what her face must look like and afraid that if she said anything, she'd burst into tears again.

"I know how you must feel," Robin began in a low tone. Zatanna looked up at him with an incredulous glare, shocked that he of all people would dare say something like that to her in this state.

Robin continued, "The hopelessness, the pain, that odd feeling of guilt… And above all, the emptiness—like someone just punched a hole through your chest and left you exposed to the cold."

Zatanna's face fell as she realized that was exactly how she felt. And by the looks of his expression, it seemed as though he had suffered through a firsthand experience. "Robin…?" she inquired meekly, strangely curious as to where this was leading.

Robin's gaze suddenly became very fixed on his slippers. "When I was nine," he explained, "my family died, and I saw it all."

Not knowing quite what to say, she simply mumbled with knowing eyes, "I'm sorry."

Surprisingly, Robin turned to her and forced a small smile. "You don't have to be sorry about that—it's not like it was your fault." But it was someone's. He remembered that night four years ago in vivid detail. Everyone was laughing, smiling, at peace—and then the world came crashing down before his eyes, quite literally. But he tried his best to instead recall the day that he and Batman finally brought their murderer to justice.

Zatanna looked away again, thinking of what to say; Robin's smile made her feel out of place and a little uncomfortable. He had just told her that his family was gone forever, and then smiled—shouldn't he be even more depressed than she? "How did you cope?" she finally managed to ask.

"For a while, I couldn't. I withdrew from society, my feelings went numb, and I didn't know how to come to terms with my new reality," Robin told her, his head clouded with the memories of that desolate point in his life. "But for some reason, Batman took me under his wing, and things started getting better."

Once again, Zatanna was left at a loss for words. By looking at the persistently upbeat boy, she never would have guessed the hardships he had gone through. Now, there seemed to be a maturity in the way he held himself that she had only briefly given notice to before. She felt rather childish in comparison when she half-heartedly joked, "I thought Batman forbid you from telling anyone anything about your personal life?"

"I think some rules can stand an exception or two," Robin replied, his smile growing slightly.

"Don't we make a pair?" Zatanna wiped away a tear, hoping the light conversation could distract her a little bit longer. "You and I, just a couple of orphans." But when got to that word, she choked, and a few tears involuntarily rolled down her cheeks once more.

"Hey," Robin interjected soothingly, sliding closer so that he could place his hand on her shoulder. "Just because I lost my parents, doesn't mean I'm an orphan. Ok, technically, yes it does… But my point is that we're not alone. Batman's my family, as is the rest of the League. And now, they're all your family, too. I realize that sometimes that might not be enough, but we all support one another and have each other's backs—and isn't that what a family really is?"

Zatanna wanted so badly to find comfort and hope in his words, but she felt as though heavy shackles restrained her from doing so. She had one thing on her chest that pressed more heavily than all the others combined: it was her fault. If she hadn't put on the helmet, her father wouldn't have had to take her place. He'd still be here, living his life with her; Zatanna felt that she had taken it from him herself. She could eventually handle the sorrow and loneliness if it was only on her that the misery fell upon, but it was because of her careless action that her father was forced into a fate that was worse than dying. How could that ever be forgiven?

And so she responded, "But my dad – it's my fault he's… gone," trying her best to express the despair that overshadowed any hope.

Both of Robin's hands were now on Zatanna's shoulders, turning her to face him. "Zatanna," he began in a serious tone, "it is not your fault. All decisions have their consequences, some more than others. If it wasn't for Doctor Fate, we would've lost the battle in our dimension. Because of your decision, not only did you save our lives, but also save the world. Your father sacrificed himself because he was proud of your bravery and loved you more than anything in the world.

"_Loves_ you more than anything in the world. Don't think for a second that he's dead; gone, yes, but he is probably thinking of you every minute, and wouldn't regret _his_ decision in one hundred years. Maybe when he gets older, Nabu might even release him back to you." Robin wasn't very certain of that last part, or that Zatara would even survive as Doctor Fate for that long, but Zatanna could use any hope she could get. "It may not seem like it now, but you will get better."

Zatanna couldn't bear to meet Robin's gaze. His reasoning did make her feel better, but she still felt so ashamed and guilty. "But my dad never will…" Zatanna remarked timidly.

"No, he probably won't, but that's all the more reason why you should honor his choice. He gave his life so that you could lead yours: respect his wishes and do so. He wouldn't want you to be in perpetual mourning and depression, would he? He'd want you to celebrate every day, learn all you can, and live a full life, great enough for the both of you. You're allowed to be sad, but don't let it consume you; or else, his sacrifice was made in vain."

Zatanna sat in silence, trying to process all that Robin had said. She didn't know whether to punch him for testing the brink of insensitivity so much, or thank him for his advice. However, by the end of his speech, she felt as though something had lifted off her chest. She could breathe again without feeling the imminent threat of a sobbing fit bursting out.

Robin stood up, realizing he might have gone a bit overboard. Hopefully, he had gotten his main point across to the sorceress. "If you like, I could leave you to your thoughts," he offered. Receiving no response, he started to leave the room.

"Wait!" Zatanna called out. When she jumped off the bed, it took her a few seconds to regain control over her legs. She proceeded to walk up to Robin and hug him with all the strength that remained. "Thank you," she whispered, producing her first smile of the night.

"Any time," Robin responded, reassuringly returning the embrace. "I'm here for you; we all are. Now, get some sleep—tomorrow's a new day." Smiling, he told her "good night" as he departed.

Zatanna was left standing in her room, wishing she had returned the saying. She went to bed and fell into a more peaceful sleep. The nightmares seemed to only float by in glimpses; the rest of her dreams were occupied by the wish that she could one day repay Robin for restoring hope.

* * *

><p>JEEZ. This update was basically as dragged out as the last one… we've already seen another episode! (Image – eh, not my favorite, but did have some good parts of course; won't mention any spoilers just in case.) I think I've decided to update only once or twice a week, depending on my schedule. But I'll try my best!<p>

Next chapter, I think I'll focus on a couple relationships (maybe spitfire ;) my fav), I'll see what I can throw in between Misplaced and Coldhearted. It'll probably be a shorter chapter than I usually write.

I know I've most likely lost anyone who was following the story, but hopefully I can gain some new readers. Please please pleeeease review and let me know what you think, response is what keeps me going!


	7. Trust Me -- Part 1: Let's Begin

**A Silhouette in the Night**

Well. It's been…over half a year… I mean, for Pete's sake, they've already come back from the summer hiatus! (who else went a little cray cray when M'gann brain-blasted Kaldur?! No bueno. And no "Cornered"? If it's not up by next Saturday, I'm going to be seriously depressed.) Good thing I've diverged anyways. I might still use certain events or plotlines from the series, just at different times.

Again, sorry; like I said last chapter, I have a lot of stuff going on lately. I was getting my ass kicked by harder tests, APs, a research paper, essays, and then finals—wasn't sophomore year supposed to be easier? Funny thing is that it IS easy compared to this year (HAHAHAHahahaha—yeah no, not funny). Then this summer I had my internship, vacation, SAT prep, soccer, writer's block…a whole mess of lame excuses. And now junior year. No explanation necessary.

On a side note, I can't believe I forgot to thank **yumiXjaganshi**, **Ominous Blue**, and **Ravenclaw Slytherin** for reviewing chapter 5! THANK YOU! And also, huge thanks to **JDP95** for reviewing every chapter; thank you so much for the positive feedback! Big thanks to **pyro-pisces12**, **embermoonlight**, and** FireLight597** as well! Hopefully, I'll see some of you back here once I start updating regularly again (which might be happening soon, hopefully; but like I said, junior year…worse anxiety than the wait during young justice AND korra AND season three of avatar hiatuses combined)

We left off after the events of Misplaced (wow, backtrack—think season 1, pre-insanity). Zatanna lost her father but joined the Team, and Robin told her a bit of his past in order to console her. A lot has happened in Mikayla's first weekend with the Team, and she's still getting used to her new environment. She's prepared for battles and missions, but what about just hanging out with people, or even working with each other? Especially when the Team is starting to spend more than just weekends together…

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own Young Justice. You know who does.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Trust Me (Part 1: Let's Begin)<strong>

**Gotham City – November 8, 17:40 EST**

Students clad in navy blue uniforms milled around the quad of Gotham Academy. Five-thirty had rolled around, meaning the end of various clubs and sports practices. The overworked teenagers were eager to return home, where they could finally sleep after tackling that mountain of homework weighing down their backpacks.

In the gymnasium, Mikayla just exited the girls' locker room. Back in her school uniform, she slung her fencing bag over her shoulder and made her way down the long hallway. She, too, was ready to go home-two hours against some of the country's most prestigious fencers indeed left her a bit winded. Of course Mikayla could catch her breath fairly quickly, but today was unusually challenging. The highlight of her practice was an intense (and intensely strange) round with that Grayson boy: he drew his blade with such skill and agility, yet he kept making small talk and jokes about the weather; at one point, they even started baiting each other in different languages. Odd kid.

Almost to the end of the corridor, who did Mikayla see but Dick Grayson himself. At least, she saw his reflection in the window at the end, growing larger as he walked with a fast pace in her direction, a big smile on his face.

Mikayla knew she'd seen a smile like that before—that poignant combination of confidence and mischief…but where? That was when she noticed that the boy was pulling out his phone, turning it sideways and flipping it around as he drew nearer—as though he was about to use the camera—and something clicked: this is the kid that took a picture of Artemis and him; the ultra-competitive prodigy with fighting skills to match her own; the award-winning boy genius with raven-black hair. This is Robin.

So this would have been how he figured her identity out. And the dynamic duo did patrol Gotham… It seemed to fit, and it would explain several things. At least, there was only one way to find out.

Dick finally arrived, throwing his arm around Mikayla and forcing her to crouch down a bit. He raised his phone and remarked, "We'll laugh about this someday," prior to taking a photo of both teens smiling.

Before Dick could run off, however, Mikayla snatched the phone from his hands and pulled him back in. In her most devious voice, she whispered, "Why don't we laugh about it now, bird boy?" and took another picture—this time, she was smiling, and Dick was far from a similar reaction. Using his moment of paralysis to her advantage, Mikayla left the stunned boy in the main hall and exited to the lobby.

Not even able to reach the front door, Mikayla found herself barred against a wall by Robin's arm in an instant. Mikayla, however, refused to fret. In fact, she was already smiling and relaxing in to the grip. None of it mattered—she had won the round.

Behind his blue eyes, Mikayla found it difficult to discern the exact emotion that smoldered beneath the mess of others. Perhaps incredulity or simply anger? They searched her person, took in her satisfied countenance, trying to find a reason for what just happened. "How?" was his curt question.

With the same charming voice she had used on the rooftop with him months ago, she replied playfully, "Oh, relax, Dick; don't live up to your namesake."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"You think just because you cover your eyes and change your hairstyle, I can't recognize your voice or stature? Or your mind and skill?" She didn't want it to be too strong of an offensive—maybe flattery could soften the blow.

There was a long pause as his eyes scanned her face. With a sigh and a small, defeated smile, the boy inquired, "Was it really that easy?"

"Well, you are in two of my classes _and_ on the fencing team—that much contact already gave me plenty of the pieces."

Once again, a pause to think things over, then "But that wasn't all, right?"

"_Darn, he caught that. He is a detective after all…so I'll just have to show him I can play detective, too,"_ Mikayla thought to herself before admitting, "No. The fact that you actually talked to me during practice for a good half hour—or rather, had a conversation in French about physics—piqued my interest and helped put things in perspective, especially considering it was the first week after I joined the Team. But what really tied it all together only occurred to me a couple minutes ago: you took the same photo with Artemis on the first day of school."

Laughing a little, Dick mused, "Yeah, I guess I was being a tad reckless, doing those things back to back. So you know about Artemis? Good memory, by the way."

"Thanks; not to brag, but it's practically photographic. And of course—as soon as Black Canary showed me her profile. She takes on the same name for fighting crime and looks exactly the same in civvies. Not to mention I'm in her AP chemistry class…I sit at the back, and she doesn't even know."

With a more congenial laugh, Dick complimented, "Nice. I should've taken chem instead of bio; shame they don't let us double up in sciences until sophomore year. Do you plan on telling her at some point?"

"Do you?" Receiving a blank expression in response, she continued, "Right, you don't need to answer that. Maybe I'll let her know after a while, but definitely not yet. Obviously I didn't have a choice with you, but I'd like to figure our Team members out before I start revealing my identity. Based on personal experience, I know we all have secrets—some more dangerous than others—so even though I like Artemis, I need to learn more about who she is before she can know who I am. You know about her family, right?"

"I do. In my opinion, I don't think you should fear trusting her because of that secret." The boy began thinking of the archer and how her family actually made it less likely that she would betray them. Switching to a more jovial tone, he continued, "Speaking of secrets, you probably already know that this," pointing between the two of them, "has to be kept quiet. If Batman finds out, he'll have my head."

"Don't worry, this will be our little secret—trust me. It'll be like I never figured it out. Just out of curiosity, does anyone else know?"

"About you? No."

"I meant about Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder."

"Oh. Well, as embarrassing as it sounds, the only other Team member who knows is…Wally."

"Really? Wally?"

"Hey, we go back," he defended with a shrug.

"I was just teasing; it actually makes sense. So no hard feelings?" Mikayla truly hoped there would be none—she really didn't need her first real relationship on the Team to be an animosity, especially with Robin.

For a few moments, it looked like he was actually considering his options, then he decided, "Nah, we're good, although I still need to beat you in fencing."

"In your dreams, kid."

"I know you only have three years on me, so we'll see about that."

"And I'll _always_ have three years experience on you—not to mention half a foot—so fat chance."

"What's the saying—the bigger they are, the harder they fall?"

"Whatever let's you sleep at night in that big mansion of yours, Grayson." Mikayla released a gasp as she came to a realization: "Hold on!" Looking around to make sure they were alone, she whispered, "If you are Robin, and you live at Wayne manor, does that mean Batman is…Bruce Wayne?"

Shifting his glance away from her, the Grayson boy replied simply, "No."

The hallway completely silent, Mikayla's exclamation almost startled Dick: "Ha! It is!"

"Wait, what?!"

"You're a bad liar—that's what," she explained with a satisfied grin. "_Of course, I'm also really good at spotting a liar,"_ she thought, but Robin didn't need to know that.

"Liar? Harsh! I'm an honest Abe."

"Mmhm. Well, Dick-Rob-Abe," Mikayla began as she checked her watch, "I've got some time to kill—do want to grab some dinner and continue that physics discussion?"

" 'Turbed. Pero quizás en español esta vez—no he hablado el idioma hace mucho tiempo, entonces lo quiero practicar contigo."

"Vale."

The two continued in to downtown Gotham and found a corner sushi place. Robin may have guessed it already, but Mikayla was hoping that they might stray from physics and perhaps delve into something more personal.

She personally knew that there is always more to an individual than their identity.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice – November 9, 18:00 EST<strong>

It was a mild Tuesday afternoon – no extreme changes in weather yet, but a chill seemed to settle in the air. So much for last week's idea of a beach day.

One by one, the members of the Team had arrived by Zeta, suited up as requested. Silhouette added a black sports-fitted jacket to cover her usually bare shoulders. It was even cold enough for Artemis to wear the warmer version of her costume.

Red Tornado waited patiently at the center of the training pad. The android took a headcount: Robin was discussing tactics with Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian were chatting with one another a little ways off, and Artemis and Silhouette seemed to be cautiously making conversation with Zatanna.

To say the least, he was very impressed with the girl's current state of mind. She, of course, wasn't all smiles and daisies, but she now seemed to be holding herself together relatively well. Red Tornado had learned of the scare Sunday night and received similar reports from Black Canary after the heroine stayed with the teen on Saturday. Even as an android, he felt a sort of satisfaction to see that Zatanna was already opting to be among friends rather than isolating herself.

It appeared that there was only one young hero still missing. Red Tornado was about to ask of Kid Flash's location when all of a sudden a streak of red and yellow raced inside the Cave. The speedster came to a stop and jokingly saluted, "Kid Flash, reporting for duty! Had to stop at a food joint first, though—am I late?"

Red Tornado remained stoic. Kid Flash sighed, his jovial smile falling slightly at the stiffness, and muttered, "Guess that's a yes," as the rest of the Team joined together to face their supervisor.

Without delay, Red Tornado began, "I suppose you are all wondering why I called the entire Team together on a week night?"

"Ooh! Do we have a special mission?" Kid Flash interjected excitedly.

Leaving no room for hope, Tornado flatly stated, "No. Seeing as we have added two new members to the Team, we found it would be beneficial to create a new training exercise."

"Because the last training exercise went oh so well," Kid Flash whispered to Artemis.

"Pay attention," she quickly replied, dealing him an elbow to the side before smirking and facing forward.

"The objective is team-building," Red Tornado continued. "Before this expanded Team ventures out on another mission, you must learn to trust each other and how to follow and give commands properly. In this exercise, the Team will be split into pairs of twos. One partner leads, the other follows. At the end of the exercise, all members will reconvene, and Aqualad will resume his position as leader."

"I call dibs on Miss M!" Wally declared, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "I'd follow you anywhere, babe."

Turning towards the persistently joking boy, Tornado explained without falter, "Partners have already been chosen. Aqualad, you will take Zatanna—you must teach her the maneuvers Black Canary has been teaching the Team while the others complete a different exercise." Aqualad nodded his approval as Zatanna made her way over to the Atlantean.

"Robin, Miss Martian; you two will be partners."

"So who's the leader?" Robin asked almost a little too confidently.

"For this exercise, Miss Martian," Red Tornado explained to Robin's dismay.

"Shouldn't I be leading Silhouette? Aqualad or I need to teach her the maneuvers, too, don't we?"

"Both you and Miss Martian follow command well, and Robin, you are a proficient leader; however, the purpose of this exercise is development, and Miss Martian must gain confidence in giving commands. Black Canary taught Silhouette the necessary battle tactics prior to joining the Team."

Robin eventually submitted with a nod, and Miss Martian shyly walked over to Robin. He didn't exactly like the role, but he understood Tornado's reasoning. Besides, it was just training.

"Superboy, you will be with Silhouette. You must learn how to give orders; Silhouette, you must learn how to take them."

Conner was a little disheartened, having hoped to be with M'gann, but he supposed being leader would at least be a good experience. On the other side of things, by the way Red Tornado put it, Mickey just hoped she wasn't going to be a guinea pig for Superboy. Oddly enough, she found herself siding with Robin's proposal. _"Scratch that," _Mickey thought,_ "just because I'm friends with Boy Wonder doesn't mean he needs an ego boost—as far as training goes, I'd rather take Superboy than Robin as leader."_

Looking around, Kid Flash realized the inevitable and leaned his head back, groaning, "You've got to be kidding me…"

"Kid Flash, partner with Artemis."

"I can't be stuck with her!" Wally whined.

"Exactly why you will be partners."

As Wally released another groan, Artemis placed her hands on her hips and leaned to one side. She had mixed feelings about the pairing, but considering how much Wally was complaining about it, she could at least get some fun out of it. With a smirk, she teased, "Face it, Baywatch; I'm not going anywhere. So, Tornado, who's the leader?" Artemis asked, expecting the immature Wally to be taught a lesson as the follower.

"You both will be."

"Come again?" Artemis questioned, her smirk faltering.

"Halfway through the exercise, you will switch roles."

Now Artemis donned a look of annoyance. Kid Flash laughed loudly, receiving a frustrated scowl from the seething archer. Tornado looked between the two and continued, "Each of you represents a conflicting opposite. Normally, this does not present a problem, unless it affects your performance in the field—that is what we wish to prevent from occurring. The point is to learn the meaning of 'do unto others as you would have them do to you': hopefully, you'll find out sooner rather than later that every action has a reaction. Kid Flash, you will lead first."

"HA!" the speedster shouted, assuming that meant he was the better leader. Artemis tried her best to ignore him.

"Everyone has their partners. We will now report to the training field." The robot turned on his heel and made his way to the Zeta-tube portals. "Line up in your pairs, males on the left, females on the right."

"Hey," Kid Flash remarked, "we finally made that one-to-one ratio—sweet!"

"Where are we going exactly?" Superboy asked impatiently.

"New Mexico," the android replied; Silhouette quickly glanced at Robin as Red Tornado continued, "to a remote training facility: Camp Fillmore."

* * *

><p><strong>Camp Fillmore, New Mexico – November 9, 16:09 MST<strong>

The Team arrived in a flash of yellow light. Four of the eight teens stood together, unsure of their whereabouts as they looked around the small, crudely constructed building they had teleported to.

Silhouette made her way toward the window to look at the familiar scenery. The glass felt warm to the touch, sending a pleasant tremor down her body after coming from the chilly east coast. The sun sat high on its peak, casting its rays upon the red desert. Her heart beat quickened as she remembered the painstaking test she was put through, but she felt more excited than anxious—if they were putting them through the course again, she'd just have to get a better score.

"Are we in a desert?" Miss Martian asked curiously, craning her neck to see out the window.

"Yes," Red Tornado replied briefly, walking over to a bare wall. Pressing three bricks in sequence, a keypad popped out; he typed in a password, and a hidden door proceeded to swing open, revealing a flight of stairs. "You may leave your jackets up here. This way," urged the android, who had already begun to descend the staircase.

Robin followed immediately, and Silhouette soon after—she knew there must've been some underground annex considering her hospital room did not have windows, but she never realized this was the entrance. The rest of the Team followed tentatively after, led by Aqualad and Kid Flash.

"So," Zatanna began out loud, "does anyone know where under Earth we're going?"

However, the question was soon answered. The Team arrived at another large, metal door that slid open upon a voice command ordered by Red Tornado. The door opened into a small lobby whose walls were lined with plaques. Silhouette smiled as Robin walked up to check the central board. His face fell upon seeing Silhouette's initial score right behind his best, which put a small grin on the girl's face.

"Ok, so the underground base is pretty cool, but would you care to explain what's going on?" Artemis asked Tornado.

"This is the underground extension to Camp Fillmore, a Justice League training facility in New Mexico. Once a military training base, the League has modified it since to provide a wide variety of exercises tailored to the specific needs; members such as Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern contribute to the constant creation and change of courses. Fillmore is sanctioned for use by members of the League and other heroes, such as you, whom we work with and trust.

"If you would please follow me, we may continue the tour," Tornado stated. He lead the Team down the main hallway, pointing out the medical center, weight room, break room, and a few other specialized training rooms.

They concluded with a room full of monitors displaying images of the desert and obstacle courses above. "This," Red Tornado explained, "is central command. Here, we control what obstacles appear in the courses and the difficulty of the assailants. These monitors provide full visual of all the courses and security footage throughout the entire underground level."

"So we're here to run an obstacle course?" Superboy questioned, confused as to how a mere training course could test _him_.

"In a way, correct," the android replied. He proceeded to open the bottom drawer of a nearby filing cabinet and pulled out three blindfolds, handing one to Robin, Artemis, and Silhouette.

Looking back between Kid Flash and the blindfold in her hands, Artemis muttered, "Ohhhh no."

Red Tornado changed the main screen so that it displayed a basic map of the course they would be using. It wasn't very detailed, however-basically three dark squiggly lines that fed in to a circle at the center.

"You three will be blindfolded by and take orders from your respective leaders. They will be your eyes in order to direct you through the obstacle course. Leaders, take heed: every decision you make weighs greatly on another; your partner is at your mercy."

At this, Kid Flash flashed Artemis a mischievous smile that set the archer on edge. In desperate frustration, she spat through clenched teeth, "You can't be serious."

Tornado merely turned toward the computers and continued, "Do not remove your blindfold or make an attempt to see through it, else you will be disqualified. I will be watching your every move; you will be on a 'three strikes' warning system. Batman has asked me to warn you that he will personally propose the reprimand for any who break the rules."

That got everybody to straighten up. Artemis forced her annoyance to simmer under a rigid countenance before it could boil over and let her do anything she'd regret.

"This exercise is about trust. In combat and on missions, you must trust yourself to make the right decisions, and trust your leader to do the same. Each team will be placed at the mouths of these three courses," the android explained, pointing out one of the locations on the map and tracing it to the center, "and will be given one hour to complete the track, else suffer the consequences.

"Aqualad and Zatanna, please return to the training room we passed earlier and begin working on maneuvers; you two shall reconvene with the others upon their course completion." As the pair made their way down the corridor, Red Tornado motioned for the others to follow him.

"So, how do we plan on getting to this place anyways?" asked Superboy.

"I don't know about you guys, but I should be there and back in no time," bragged Kid Flash.

"We will not be walking," Tornado explained. "The entire base is connected by an underground network of tunnels, furbished with expressways. We shall arrive at the central depot shortly."

Finding themselves back in the lobby, Red Tornado led the group down another hallway. Gradually, the walls lost their plaster and turned into smooth rock, and the floor became a pathway of metal grates lit from underneath.

"Stay close; it's fairly easy to become lost in these tunnels and rather difficult to find a way out," the android warned. A couple turns later, he stopped in front of a triple fork. Turning to face the teenagers, the android stated, "At the end of each tunnel is a car that will depart upon the admittance of two people. The course will allow your entry at exactly 16:30 MST. Followers must put on blindfolds before this time or be disqualified.

"Miss Martian, Robin—left tunnel; Superboy, Silhouette—center; Kid Flash, Artemis—right." Addressing the last pair while the others proceeded, Red Tornado informed them, "It has been decided that you will switch roles halfway into the course. I will alert you when this point has been reached."

"How are you going to do that if we don't have coms?"

Rather than answer the girl, Red Tornado wished the pair good luck and left them to find their way. However, this just left Artemis in an even more frustrated state.

Noticing the archer's tension, Kid Flash sighed and began walking through their tunnel. "Come on, Artie."

"Hey—watch it, Baywatch."

"Take it easy; you don't have to have a hissy fit just because Tornado made me the first leader."

"If you're going to attempt humor, at least wait until we're at that halfway point, and I'm in a better mood."

"Ah, but that'd take the fun out of it."

Artemis responded with a glare before muttering, "Let's just make the time and get this over with."

"No problemo," the speedster replied with a grin. The two boarded their car, which automatically sped off into the depths of the tunnels.

* * *

><p><strong>Camp Fillmore, New Mexico: Course 3, Entrance B – 16:20 MST<strong>

The car was simple: two benches on opposite sides in a small, enclosed capsule. Silhouette reclined on her bench while Superboy sat on the other, seemingly fascinated by the rocks outside his window.

Silhouette periodically glanced over at him, not knowing what to say. It had been a long time since she just talked with a boy. She could flirt with them, seduce them; talk normally with her family, hold relatively comfortable conversation with superiors.

It was boys her own age that always got her a bit tongue-tied. As a child, being a genius (and albeit a showoff) weren't the most attractive qualities in particular. It was difficult to make friends her age, especially boy friends. Not _boy_friends, but – well, those were perplexing, too, but that was another thing altogether; she meant something more like male acquaintances…

The anxious girl had to hold a hand to one temple. Even thinking about all of that gave her a headache, yet she was still confused as to how to proceed. It seemed like they had reached good terms back at the Cave, but now she couldn't decide whether he was angry or just quiet.

"_Well,"_ thought Silhouette, _"we'll have to talk soon anyways, so I might as well start somewhere."_ Hoping she could find an easy conversation topic, Silhouette turned toward the stoic boy and asked, "So, what's your story, Superboy?"

The Kryptonian took a moment to face the girl across from him. Silhouette was leaning forward, elbows resting on her knees, an eager smile on her face. Black Canary had already caught her protégé up to speed on the Team members' general backgrounds, but she thought this would be a comfortable place to start.

"I was cloned from Superman," he replied curtly.

Seeing as this was the only answer she would be getting, Silhouette simply responded, "Cool."

Superboy released an ironic laugh when after some thought he realized "cool" was nowhere near the first word he would have thought of. "I was a science experiment, and I have no family – not quite sure of your definition of 'cool,' but let me know if that falls into the category."

She shifted in her seat a little, but embarrassed and angry with his seemingly uncalled for bitterness, Silhouette inquired sarcastically, "How about you let me know when you decide to relax?" which immediately earned a fierce glare. Realizing her attempt at friendliness had already plummeted so quickly into hostility, Silhouette sighed and softened her tone as she apologized, "I'm sorry; that was insensitive, and I'd like to take it back. And I didn't mean it like that, it's just, I…"

Pausing to collect herself with another sigh, Silhouette explained, "My parents are geneticists, so they know a lot about that line of…research," more careful with her choice of vocabulary. "I find the entire scientific field fascinating, but that area draws my attention in particular. It's amazing: to create a living, normally functional being."

"I think you need to check that dictionary of yours. I'm biologically sixteen but technically less than a year old, and I have superpowers – qualify as normal?"

"Well, I don't think it qualifies you as any less of a person, if that's what you're asking. And so what if you're a clone? We're all human—you just have an interesting back story."

At first, he almost thought she was going to start analyzing his DNA or something when she started talking about research. But then she dismissed the science experiment aspect altogether, and there was a softness in her tone that calmed Superboy down. He even smiled as he corrected, "Kryptonian."

"Right. Sorry…"

"It's fine. So, do you have a story?"

"Not really – I have a pretty normal family."

"Considering the only other person I know on the Team that has a 'normal' family is Kid Flash, I'd say that's good. Best of both worlds," Superboy stated, the last line said with a hint of jealousy. "Normal must be nice," he muttered.

Not knowing the sensitivity of the subject, Silhouette offered, "But it must be awesome to have Superman as a dad, right?"

Superboy instantly tensed and looked out the window. "He's not my father," he answered without explanation.

"Oh. I just assumed – "

"You assumed wrong."

And the hostility had returned. They were fast approaching the arena; their partnership couldn't afford a riff before the mission actually started. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Pausing for a moment, but still retaining the tension, Superboy remarked, "You sound like Black Canary."

"Well, she is my mentor."

Realizing a similar fact, Superboy sighed and remembered, _"just say you're sorry,"_ hoping they could still cooperate. Besides, maybe Canary hadn't even told her anything about him and his situation; it wouldn't be her fault for not knowing. "Sorry. It's just…our relationship is…strained," he explained, uncomfortable but glad to get it out of the air. "But I've been doing extra training with Black Canary, so I guess that sort of makes her my mentor, too."

"Cool," she replied, this time receiving a smile.

"Arrival in T-minus one minute," announced Red Tornado's voice over the loudspeaker. "Place blindfolds on now."

"Here," Superboy began, crossing over to Silhouette's side, "hand me the blindfold and turn around."

Silhouette complied, not wanting to protest, and allowed Superboy to tightly tie the knot behind her head. "Thank you."

"No problem." As Superboy moved to fix the blindfold in the front, his finger brushed Silhouette's domino mask, causing him to inquire, "Why did you decide to hide your identity from us? I can see why Robin would, considering it was under Batman's order. You said you're normal, and Black Canary doesn't even cover her face – wouldn't you do the same?"

"Canary talked about it with me. She also told me about a possible mole on the Team. I've always worked on my own and anonymously – there are a lot of angry people who would have just loved to know my name. Please don't be offended, but until I can trust all of you completely, I'm not taking any chances. I have my family to protect."

At that moment, the car came to a stop. Both felt a little surprised as they suddenly ascended through the rock. The doors finally slid open to reveal a small room with a single metal door.

Superboy took a breath and guided Silhouette out. "Well, for the next hour, you'll have to trust me anyways."

* * *

><p><strong>Camp Fillmore, New Mexico: Course 3, Entrance C – 16:51 MST<strong>

Artemis took a deep breath, ignoring the discomfort as she stood in the low-ceilinged express car. The archer had to drop into a crouch in order to throw her arm over her head and draw an arrow from her quiver. Eyes closed, the corner of Artermis' mouth turned up in a satisfied grin as she felt the weight and tip with her fingers, confirming she had pulled the correct arrow.

"Haven't you practiced enough already?" the impatient speedster questioned with a very conspicuous sigh.

Artemis' lids slowly opened, allowing a glare to shoot out from beneath them. "If you're going to be my eyes, I'll need all the practice I can get."

"Oh, come on, Artie – it'll be like Bialya again. Well, hopefully there won't be any tanks this time. Or planes."

The archer kept her mouth shut, not knowing what would come out of it. Bialya brought up a whole mess of memories, good and bad – including a few of the boy in front of her that she wasn't sure how to place.

"They probably won't do anything that drastic; it's just training."

"It _is_ a League training base, though; I wouldn't put it past them to have a couple airstrike drones."

Annoyed by his persistence on the topic, Artemis began, "Wally, just drop – "

"Artemis," Red Tornado's voice suddenly interrupted, "failure to maintain secret identity. Strike one."

"You've got to be kidding me."

As Artemis shot Kid Flash death glares, the speedster burst out laughing. "HA! The only _kid_ you're getting is me!" His face falling as he realized that he should've rephrased that one, the boy muttered, "Wait…"

A smile returning to her face, Artemis teased, "Glad you at least admit it."

"Well, I'm turning sixteen in a couple days, so we'll see who the kid is then," Kid Flash boasted with a satisfied smirk.

"If we're going by maturity, since you have none, obviously you. And if we go chronologically, still you – my birthday was last month."

"Really?" Kid Flash's voice took on a softer tone and the satisfaction left his face. Why hadn't Artemis told them? They could've at least wished her a happy birthday or gotten her a present if she really didn't want a party. He felt slightly ashamed that he had already been dropping hints about his own birthday. Well, almost; he still wanted a cool surprise party. "Why didn't you tell any of us? We could've made you a cake or something…well, at least Miss M could have made one."

"It's not like I was planning on a sweet sixteen. Besides, it was around the time of that whole 'Injustice League' crisis, so I didn't think it mattered all too much – priorities."

Pausing for a moment, Kid Flash commented, "I would've liked to at least wish you a happy birthday."

With a crooked smile and half-hearted laugh, Artemis replied, "Maybe next year, Baywatch. But hey – you can always make up for it with a nice Christmas gift."

"Noted. But I hope you're returning the favor," then leaning in as though he were whispering a secret, "maybe sometime soon…"

"Don't push it, Kid," Artemis responded with a playful shove. "No one's forgetting your birthday; I don't think you're giving anyone the chance to."

"Humble ol' me?"

"_Now_ you're actually pushing it."

"Arrival in T-minus one minute," interrupted Tornado once more as the car suddenly changed to vertical movement. "Place blindfolds on now." As the announcement ended, the doors slid open to a small lobby that ended in metal double doors.

"Looks like it's show time, Artie. You ready?"

"Yes," Artemis responded as she finished tying the blindfold. Suddenly feeling the full disability of the blackness, she made one final plea: "Just…don't run me in to a wall, got it?"

"Jeez, trust me a little, won't you?"

In a voice she hoped to be inaudible, Artemis muttered, "Believe me, I'm trying," before following in Kid Flash's footsteps.

* * *

><p>Sorry, not the most exciting first chapter back… It DOES have a part two, although, and officially marks the end of my writing hiatus (hopefully). And I thought it was cute to add a little Spitfire at the end there :) And I thought it would be funny if the tables were turned on Robin when he tried to take Mikayla's picture!<p>

Oh and I just remembered my other excuse: a little invention called Netflix online, which means unlimited episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Breaking Bad…

Also, side note: DA**** JUST HAPPENED ON ADVENTURE TIME?! the season finale was too crazy of a cliff hanger. November 12th cannot come faster…

So if anyone is out there reading this (first off, sorry…and) please review! Those always get me whipped back into shape :D

{ Spanish Translation:

Dick: "But maybe in Spanish this time—I haven't spoken the language in some time, so I'd like to practice it with you."

Mikayla: "Okay." }


	8. Trust Me -- Part 2: The Ties that Bind

**A Silhouette in the Night**

So, part two, as promised! Wanted to do something nice and long for re-entry, and it ended up splitting like this…

We left with the Team split up into partners, about to face a Camp Fillmore challenge. The twist – one of each pair is blindfolded. Can they manage to get through this game of follow the leader unscathed, or will they get left behind in the desert dust?

On a side note, big thanks to **Oiten **and **AzureVirgo** for being my first reviewers upon my return! :D guys, you rock my socks. I'm trying my best to find time to write these—I really like this story, and I'd like to continue it. I'm shooting for updating on Mondays, maybe earlier or sooner depending on how stressful the week was.

**DISCLAIMER**: IT'S ALL MINE. Jk, I don't own Young Justice; DC and Cartoon Network do. SO THERE. THE TRUTH WILL OUT!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Trust Me (Part 2: The Ties that Bind)<strong>

**Camp Fillmore, New Mexico: Course 3A – November 9, 16:30 MST**

Nearly blinding light assaulted the Martian's eyes; coming from the dark tunnels left her sight maladjusted for the desert day. Once the initial glare had faded, she was able to properly take in her surroundings: the mouth of a canyon, only about ten yards across with ruddy brown walls that towered nearly sixty yards overhead. The sun was in such a position that one side bathed in its rays while the other remained in shadow.

"Miss Martian," Robin stated from a few feet below where his partner was levitating, instinctively pressing a few buttons on his watch, "I'm going to set a timer. Could you give me a lay of the land?"

"Hello, Megan! Of course: well, we're still in the desert…" M'gann began before realizing a simpler solution: "Hold on, better idea." Rather than describe their surroundings verbally, the Martian formed a psychic link between Robin and her, enabling him to see as she saw. A steady image of the scene suddenly filled his mind.

"_That's great. Can you keep a feed like that going while we move?_"

"_Just let me adjust the angle a bit…there. It should stay fixed about five to ten feet above your viewpoint. Should we get started_?"

"_I'm the one wearing the blindfold, so _you_'re the leader; what's your plan?_" Robin asked, having finally accepted the role without any further qualms. After all, it was just training.

Suddenly feeling a little nervous, M'gann took a few moments to formulate some sort of strategy. "_Wait here—I'm going to go up and see if I can get a better vantage point._"

Miss Martian proceeded to quickly increase her elevation; however, she was suddenly stopped about fifteen yards up by a mild shock. After shaking her head to clear the slight dizzying effect, M'gann tried to fly up once more, but was stopped at the same point by the same electric current.

Noticing the fade of connection, Robin tilted his head upwards towards the Martian's general location, calling out, "Is everything okay up there?"

"I don't know," she replied. "There seems to be an electric barrier. I can't—"

"Miss Martian," Red Tornado's voice interrupted from an unknown source, "successive attempts to breach boundary. First warning."

"Well, that answers that question," Robin remarked as Miss Martian returned to levitating by him once again.

"Looks like we should get going."

The two began the course, Robin taking it at a jog while Miss Martian remained about five feet above him. She made small adjustments in his directions when necessary, but Robin for the most part seemed to know what he was doing. The trail narrowed and widened, switching back and forth so that they could never see farther than half a football field's length ahead of them.

The first obstacle they met towered nearly forty yards above them: a rock-climbing wall that spread across the width of the canyon. Two carabiners hung from two single ropes without belay cords—not the most safe-looking design.

"So we climb over? Even blind-folded, that doesn't seem too bad," Robin commented out loud.

All of a sudden, Red Tornado's voice sounded through the canyon, instructing, "Your first task is to get to the other side. Miss Martian, telekinetic powers are prohibited for this situation."

"But what if you fall?" the Martian questioned worriedly.

"Don't worry; the ropes probably have some sort of safety catch. We'll be fine."

M'gann stared up the face of the wall, noticing that it didn't completely block out the sun. It didn't seem as intimidating from close up. "_Okay_," she replied, returning to telepathy. Fastening the carabiners to each other's belt, Miss Martian began directing their ascent with mental commands and imagery. With her point of view acting as his eyes, Robin had little difficulty finding handholds and footholds. Also, the Martian was pleased to find that the invisible barrier she had encountered earlier was not present for this challenge.

However, the climb was going slightly slower than expected. Robin had the skill for the wall, but Miss Martian, without the permission to use telekinesis (and therefore levitation), was having a hard time with the gradual overhang; he didn't want to leave her behind. She wasn't exactly the acrobatics expert.

They had almost reached the top when Miss Martian suddenly shoved Robin hard enough to swing the two apart. Luckily, this did not send the pair free-falling to the ground; instead, a catch kicked in to play after about a ten-foot drop. The boy wonder would've asked what had happened had he not felt the heat pass his skin.

"_Was that a…?_"

"…_a flamethrower? I think so, but I can't see where it came from._" It only took a few moments before Miss Martian had to mentally shout the command to jump left. The intermittent recurrence of this obstacle slowed their climb, but it was only a few more minutes before the pair had reached the top. There, they switched to new lines and began their descent.

The way down was simpler, but the cords only let the pair repel so fast. They had just gotten about three quarters of the way down by the time they felt a familiar wave of heat. This time, however, the flames had coalesced into one intense sheet of fire that followed the two downward.

As the blaze drew closer and sweat beaded on her forehead, Miss Martian felt herself lose focus and grip on her telepathic connection. The gradual loss of clarity fortunately wasn't very important to Robin at this point. However, they needed to clear this particular obstacle fast—it was getting harder for the Martian to retain consciousness under the approaching inferno.

The wall of fire only twenty feet away, Miss Martian decided that they wouldn't be able to repel fast enough to outrun it. Quickly thinking of a way to get them down without using telekinesis, she sent Robin the mental image of her plan and received a nod of approval.

The pair simultaneously found proper footholds in order to flip around, backs facing the wall, as they unhooked their carabiners from their belts. Jumping a split second after the boy, Miss Martian allowed him to grab on to her legs. At the same instant, she spread her arms wide to reveal a shape-shifted pair of thick wings. As they fell, the wings created a drag effect; as they drew closer to the ground, she gave a few powerful flaps to cushion the landing. After returning to her normal form, the two suddenly had to roll out of the way of the descending fire-it had quickened pace and followed them as they went down.

"Close one-nice plan."

"Red Tornado never said I couldn't shape-shift," M'gann responded as she paused to catch her breath.

Their next obstacle took them without warning. All of a sudden, Miss Martian gave the mental command to duck and roll. Robin didn't spare a moment of hesitation; immediately, he felt the rush of air and heard the accompanying 'whoosh' of an object flying overhead. To his surprise, there also seemed to follow a small explosion as the UFO made contact with a wall.

"Miss Martian," he questioned warily, "what was that, and why couldn't I see it?"

"Sorry-it was on my periphery, so I didn't see it fast enough to warn you with the mental image. It was some sort of...explosive," she informed him incredulously. Miss Martian hadn't expected flamethrowers, let alone bombs, on a training mission. She described, "It was small, round, but coming at a speed slow enough to dodge." Looking to the side it came from, she found a small hole in the rock and sent the image to Robin.

"Well, I dodged it. Good call."

"Thanks. Let's keep-DROP!"

Another explosion rang out as a similar object hit the other side of the passage. The subsequent attack prompted Miss Martian to search the walls ahead. She was surprised to find that the same holes lined the rock as far as she could see. "Are you getting this?"

"Well, that's not very 'concerting."

Second test. She could do it. "Don't worry; it just requires a little bit of evasive maneuvering."

"That's the spirit," Robin replied encouragingly.

The pair snaked their way along the trail, dodging the explosives flying at random. There were a few close calls, but Miss Martian learned how to detect them faster and instantly warn Robin to drop and roll out of the way. Then they started shooting just above the ground, which at first threw them for a loop, but they adjusted fairly quickly.

A little over half an hour in, Miss Martian and Robin came across an expanse of stone pillars. They seemed to vary in thickness, but all were an even six feet tall. Strangely, the pillars were arranged neatly in rows and columns, allowing them to see the other end about fifty yards away.

Noticing the bombardment had stopped, Robin questioned mentally, _"Next obstacle?"_

"_I suppose so. Red Tornado hasn't announced it yet, but then again, he didn't for the last one either."_

"_Well, it looks like more ducking and dodging; there are probably some tricks hiding behind the pillars, but we should make it through just fine."_

"_This seems too easy for a third challenge,"_ Miss Martian remarked skeptically. _"Let me test something before we go through."_ Using telekinesis, she levitated a medium-sized boulder to the entrance of the columned area and made it slowly roll forward on the ground. Suddenly, about twenty feet in, an explosion erupted from the ground, taking down one of the pillars.

"Land mines," the Martian stated frankly out loud.

"Miss Martian," Tornado proclaimed as if giving the next step, "the next section prohibits the use of telekinesis and shape-shifting." They guessed that last restriction was added on after her unexpected use of it in the first test. "Your challenge is to get to the other side."

"So that's what the pillars are for," Robin realized.

Encouraged by their successful performance so far, M'gann confidently told Robin, "We can do this. It's basic acrobatics for you with my eyes. Give me a lift to the top of this thick pillar, and I'll pull you up to the next one."

Robin did as Miss Martian commanded, but as soon as he felt stable, all Hell broke loose. The pillars randomly began to move up and down, some even toppled away, and the flying bombs resumed their previous course of peril.

Miss Martian felt the desperate need to panic, but she knew Robin and her well-beings could not afford it. Instead, she began whipping out commands instant by instant, both verbal and mental. Bombs and rock chips flew through the air, explosions rang out from all sides, but M'gann kept her focus on one thing: survival.

Several times, she lost awareness of her surroundings while trying to take care of Robin's and nearly lost her footing in the process. In one instance, a pillar began to spontaneously crumble beneath Robin; Miss Martian at the last moment managed to swoop in and secure them handholds on the canyon wall, allowing the two to jump to relatively secure footing once again.

The partners only had a few more rows to go in order to reach the end when a series of exceptionally loud explosions drew their attention backwards: the rows were beginning to topple one by one, creating a domino effect as they hit the land mines below. Miss Martian did her best to quicken their pace of escape, but the chain reaction was approaching fast. She and Robin were leaping from the last set of pillars when the explosion caught up, the force of the blast propelling both heroes forward.

As the dust cloud dissipated, Miss Martian lifted herself up to her knees. Nothing seemed to be hurting too much, but her heartbeat would not slow down. She was shaking violently and echoes of the explosions pounded in her head. Looking to the side, M'gann released a small gasp as tears quickly welled up at the corner of her eyes, blurring the image that had finally found focus—Robin lying flat on his back, seemingly unconscious. The image was too much for her.

Slowly awakening from a dark haze, Robin coughed up the layer of dust that had settled in his throat. His head ached and his back felt sore, but other than that, he'd been much the worse for wear before. The boy picked himself up with some effort to find what sounded like crying. Still blindfolded, he followed the noise until he was sure he was within a foot of what must have been M'gann. He judged her position by ear and found her back, heaving with sobs.

"Miss M," Robin began in a comforting tone, "Miss M, what's wrong?"

"I—I just…" M'gann muttered, unable to get anything out between the sobs. Robin gently rubbed her back; he could see where this was going.

"It's okay, just let it out."

"You died! You all d-died, and it was my f-fault! I make a mess of everything; I still…I still can't even do a training exercise right. And then there was so much fire, my god there was so much fire, and then y-you were lying there, and I," she had to pause to collect herself, "I thought I had done it again!" After that, the poor girl just fell apart.

"M'gann, I—"

"Robin, failure to maintain secret identity; first warning," Red Tornado interrupted.

"Shut it, Red! We're having a personal moment, time out or something!" Robin called out angrily.

Hearing no response or reprimand, Robin shook off the anger and continued to the Martian girl, "Miss M, you see that mess over there? You didn't make that—you saved me from it. Because of you, I'm still alive. Now, I don't blame you for messing up a training exercise, no one does—everyone makes mistakes, and yours wasn't even conscious." Robin had to pause before he could say _'unlike mine'_. The thought caught in his throat, the little black shadow that had been haunting his dreams lately. He had plenty of shame and guilt left over from that mission, but now wasn't the time to hash out his own problems. Instead, he continued, "You were the hero for the real deal—my hero."

At least the sobbing had trickled down to small gasps. Wiping away a tear, M'gann attempted a smile as she pointed out, "Look at me, breaking down like this. No one else cries. I'm just too emotional. Too weak."

"You're not weak. You're brave and spirited and stronger than you give yourself credit."

"But I couldn't even control my own powers…"

"Then you'll get even stronger: you'll train, and it'll be hard work, but you _will_ gain full control, and save our lives more times than we can count. I know it."

"Robin…how can you always be so sure?"

"Because as corny as it sounds, I have faith in you."

Suddenly, Robin felt the Martian's tight embrace around his body as she whispered, "Thank you."

"So, are you going to lead the way out of here? This blindfold is starting to chafe," Robin joked, hoping to bring back the happy side to her that he had grown so attached to.

With a nod and a smile, Miss Martian reestablished their telepathic link, setting to the trail once again.

* * *

><p><strong>Camp Fillmore, New Mexico: Course 3B – November 9, 16:30 MST<strong>

Artemis was not known for cowardice, but that didn't mean she was exempt from feeling fear. Many episodes occurred during her unconventional youth under her father's merciless training. Another time when she stood face to face with her long-lost sister at the other end of her arrow, blackmailed into allowing her escape by a terrible secret they shared. The archer felt it poignantly as she faced two killing machines, on her home turf yet practically defenseless, the lives of the whole Team in her hands. Surprisingly, dying (at least, in simulation) didn't make the list—she must have avoided Megan's subconscious freak out. But standing in the middle of a blazing desert, depraved of her keenest sense and at _this_ guy's mercy of all people, Artemis couldn't help but feel a tinge of panic. Feelings or no feelings, "dependent" was not a position she felt comfortable in.

In an attempt to conceal the embarrassing emotion, arms crossed nonchalantly, Artemis put forth the pragmatic first question: "Mind telling me where we are?"

"Not with that attitude, Artie," Kid Flash responded with a smirk, reveling in his temporary authority.

Able to judge an approximate location based on his voice, Artemis pulled an arrow out of her quiver and set it up on the bow, tip pointed roughly at the speedster. "Don't make me do it."

A rush of wind and fast footsteps flashed past Artemis. All of a sudden she heard a whisper in her ear: "Catch me if you can."

"Would you be serious?!" Artemis called out in frustration as the boy passed. "We're kind of in the middle of something-or are you too busy stroking your ego to remember?"

"Alright, alright, don't throw a hissy fit. Well, it's still the desert, but now we're in a moderately deep canyon, walls about 200 feet high. It looks like the only way is forward."

Relatively satisfied, she continued, "Okay. So how do you propose we work with the blindfold setback?"

"You seemed pretty fine with finding a target on my chest."

"Unfortunately, I don't think the majority of obstacles will be as obnoxiously loud as you are, so I can't rely too heavily on sound alone," she explained with her usual jeer.

Ignoring the expected insult, Kid Flash thought out loud, "Walking should be fine. As for shooting, we'll need a system..." Pondering for a few moments, he formulated an idea: "Got it! I'll give you a direction like a clock, how many yards away, then how many yards up if it's flying. So it'll sound something like '12:30:20.' How's that for a plan?"

"I can work with that. Is the direction from my point of view or yours?"

"Yours-hopefully that'll be less confusing."

"Okay, we have a strategy. Lead the way-I'll follow your footsteps."

"Sure thing. Just try to smile a little, why don't you?" he joked playfully as he started his jog.

"And why would I do that, Baywatch?"

"For starters, you get quality time with _moi_," KF explained with a flamboyant gesture that was wasted on his blindfolded partner, "and you should smile more, have some fun with it-you know you want to."

Smirking, Artemis retorted, "Oh, believe me: I'm going to have lots of fun when it's my turn. Plenty of smiles then."

"_But I won't be able to see it,"_ Wally lamented internally, quickly pushing away the thought as soon as it popped in to his head. Sure she had a beautiful smile, and he could remember nearly every rare occasion that one emerged from genuine happiness, but this was Artemis he was talking about-his short-tempered friend and more than occasional antagonist. Nothing more. But these stupid thoughts had been popping up unexpectedly since the Failsafe mission; maybe he was starting to notice all the little things he would miss about her if she were to actually vanish…nah, too sappy. As far as Wally was concerned, Artemis shouldn't concern him—the speedster was open for business. There were plenty of girls out there just dying to be with the suave hero-especially ones that weren't so argumentative.

Overall, he was just glad they had actually formed a friendship. Even if it entailed a few 'heated discussions' over chemistry every now and then and the usual biting remarks. That was fine by Wally, though; he could always count on her for an interesting late night at the Cave. Remembering what he had wanted to ask the archer had he not been so late, Wally questioned, "By the way, did you finish that book I lent you?"

"Just last night. I'll admit: it was a good read. I still think the underlying scientific premise for the storyline was flawed, but interesting."

Kid Flash would have argued back with his own opinion on the plot, but a nagging feeling deterred him from speaking. Rocks of various shapes and sizes littered an area of the canyon about the length of a football field. The scene felt eerie, as though he might turn to find something breathing down his neck.

As her partner slowed down to a stop, Artemis did the same. "Something wrong?" she asked impatiently, her bow and an arrow drawn on reflex.

"Don't know-just a feeling in my gut."

"Are you sure that's not just cafeteria food talking?"

"Hey, I think I know my stomach well enough to tell the difference between instinct and food poisoning."

"Fine, what exactly _is _your gut instinct telling you?"

Looking around to discover nothing had changed, Kid Flash replied, "It's probably nothing. Let's keep moving."

However, a few yards in, Kid Flash was already shouting at Artemis to duck for cover. Artemis might have protested had she not heard the sound of a bomb crashing only a few feet behind her.

"KF, where'd that come from?" Artemis called out to the boy across from her over the din of more explosions and what sounded, crazily enough, like bullets.

Daring to peek his head out, the hero was able to scope out about ten armed robots and two small tanks. It was like they had appeared out of thin air. "Imagine Bialya, but with robots."

"Wonderful." Artemis rolled her eyes behind her blindfold and switched to the appropriate arrow. "How far off are they, and do you have a plan?"

"About a ninety yards and approaching-ten robots in a line, two tanks behind. I'll run ahead, see if I can take out a few. Try to stay back here within cover, and I'll let you know how far to shoot and the angle. They're gaining ground pretty quickly, so hide when they get within twenty-five yards."

Frustrated with how much hiding her part entailed, Artemis had to build up a great deal of effort to confirm, "Okay." _"Just follow orders,"_ she thought to herself. _"He has the better layout anyways."_

"And...go," Kid Flash commanded, speeding toward enemy lines. Artemis felt her way over the rock she was hiding behind to find a proper vantage point. Upon hearing the instructions, "1:80!" Artemis adjusted her aim and released. As the contact with metal rang out subtly through the noise, Artemis smiled and found cover once again.

Kid Flash, on the other hand, had his hands pretty full. Ten robots seemed like no biggie from nearly one hundred yards away, but he had forgotten to take into account that these were League robots. And

League robots could put up a decent, strategic fight. Only three had been taken down by the speedster before he was forced find cover. "12:65!" he yelled from his spot, almost immediately hearing the clang of a robot falling. Five down, five to go. Plus tanks.

Looking back, his angle allowed him to see the top of Artemis' hair. Exhaling, he was relieved to know the defiant archer had actually listened to him on staying put. Kid Flash quickly tensed up, however, as he looked beyond the girl: a line of five more armed robots approached from the way they'd came.

"Artemis! About face! 12:40 and find cover!"

Realizing she'd be able to get the robot but would probably take too long to grope out another rock, Kid Flash sped over to the archer and pulled her between two rocks that offered decent cover from both sides. "Alright, new plan," he rushed. "Two tanks, five robots on the far side; four more robots behind. I say we engage the smaller group, find cover, move forward, and take on the rest."

Her lips curling up into a smile at the thought of some real combat, she affirmed, "Sounds good."

"Okay. Fire a distraction shot, and then we move."

Letting off an exploding arrow at the canyon wall, Artemis created a small rockslide that disrupted the robots' formation. Kid Flash dashed toward the enemy line, ramming through a robot on his left as he ordered, "1:25!" Artemis took the shot as she charged forward, hitting her mark. Wally took on another robot and warned Artemis of the proximity of the one on her left. Ducking, Artemis used her bow to uppercut the robot, then kicked its gun out of its hands. It took some effort and Canary-esque maneuvering, but Artemis took her robot down.

Kid Flash had just finished with his adversary in time to proudly see Artemis standing by her fallen robots. The emotion quickly turned to terror, however: an oncoming tank shot a bomb sailing straight for the archer. The image was all too familiar-a memory much more horrifying than Bialya. But rather than just scream out her name this time, adrenaline-fueled urgency coursed through his body, allowing the speedster to tackle her out of the way fast enough. He might have unconsciously snarled "NO!" or a general roar, but he couldn't be quite sure. What he did remember was hitting the floor rolling, Artemis still in his arms, then throwing his goggles down over his eyes and surging through the onslaught at nearly top speed. His hard features eventually melted away after a minute of running, breaking into a more leisurely pace. Sounds started to return as the monotonous ringing that had filled his ears died down.

"-you doing?!" he mutely heard Artemis mumble.

"Huh?"

"I said: what are you doing?!" Artemis tried again, the defiance in her voice finding clarity once more.

"Oh. Well..." Wally couldn't admit to her how devastating the prospect would be if she were to actually disappear. She'd hold it over him until the day he died. "What can I say? They had bigger arrows."

Thinking it over, Artemis continued, "So why am I not back on the ground?"

"I think this is pretty comfortable-wouldn't you say, beautiful?"

Refraining from blushing at the nickname Kid Flash had started using to get out of tight spots with her, Artemis responded, "Whatever, Baywatch. Besides, I think one of them got my leg anyways."

"Wait, what?!"

"Calm down, Kid. It turns out they were just BB guns."

"Jeez, don't scare me like that."

"Aww, you do care," Artemis teased.

"Well, yeah. Of course I do. You're my best friend-like Robin," he hastily added.

"Right," Artemis replied, not sure how to react to being compared with Robin.

Things were silent for a little bit. Kid Flash easily crossed a long pit filled with skinny stone columns that toppled upon contact, still holding Artemis. Less than a minute after passing the obstacle, Kid Flash felt a jolt of electricity that caused his legs to catch each other, tripping him in the process. Both heroes rolled a few feet before picking themselves up.

"What was that?" Artemis asked in an annoyed tone.

"Kid Flash," Red Tornado's voice sounded over the hidden speakers, "Misuse of powers to avoid obstacle. Strike one."

"Well, you could've told me that beforehand!" Kid Flash announced in frustration. But instead of continuing his accusation, the speedster urged his partner to resume jogging. It wasn't long before the two came across a white line clearly marked in the dirt.

"Are the robots back?" Artemis questioned as they came to a halt, already reaching for an arrow.

Realizing what it must signify, Kid Flash groaned in disappointment, "Seriously? That felt so short!"  
>The speedster's lamentation finally clicking, Artemis chuckled, "Well, you did race through the majority of it."<p>

"Artemis, Kid Flash-you have reached the halfway mark. Please switch roles and transfer the blindfold."

"Ha! My turn!" Artemis gloated, taking off the blindfold. Blinking away the sudden sun exposure, Artemis took in her surroundings, glad to find they were as she had imagined. But as she turned, her face donned a frown: from the corner of Kid Flashes lip, a line of blood trailed down to his chin. "You split your lip."

"Ah man," Kid Flash complained, "I'm gonna get red in the wrong places." He attempted to clean the supposed injury but wiped the wrong side.

"Don't be such a baby," Artemis scolded with a blatant eye roll. "Let me," she insisted, tenderly wiping away the streak of crimson with the back of her glove.

"Thanks," the boy stated, slightly flustered yet soothed by the act of kindness.

"No problem," the girl replied, a gentleness in her tone that had a knack for appearing whenever she tended to the injured with her first aid skills. "There."

"Hey, how's your leg?"

"Oh, no-I told you, it's nothing," Artemis assured her friend, crossing the bruised leg behind the other. Hoping to drag focus away from her minor injury but returning to her normal attitude, "You weren't half bad as a leader, by the way," the archer admitted a little begrudgingly.

"Well, thanks for actually listening to me for once."

"I'll only take it if you do the same for me, buddy."

"Then blindfold me up!" Kid Flash requested with an extra kick of vigor. It was nice when they weren't fighting. That was another part he liked about their being friends-arguments had in fact started to taper off. Now, I'm not saying they had vanished, but the ratio of hostility to friendliness had indeed drastically decreased since they first met.

Artemis secured the blindfold over Wally's eyes and agreed to use the same aiming system for speed tackles, if necessary. The pair jogged on, the speedster keeping pace with the archer, until Artemis noticed something farther down the road. As they drew nearer, she observed a pit of unknown depth spanning the sides of the canyon. The distance to the other side seemed to be about fifty yards, and the only thing connecting the two seemed almost funny: a set of monkey bars.

"Another obstacle?" Kid Flash questioned.

"There's a really deep pit just ahead of us, and the only way across is a long set of monkey bars."

"Seriously? I get robots and explosives, and all you get is something out of a kid's jungle gym? Not fair."

"Tell me about it. Well, let's get on with it. The bars look to be all evenly space a little over a yard apart; the first one's right at the edge. You go first so that I can keep an eye on you."

"Whatever you say, boss," Kid Flash replied with a casual salute. "Good thing I finally got that cast off." Artemis led the speedster in the right direction and guided his jump to the first bar. After he had tested the distance and swung to the third bar, Artemis grabbed the first one and followed suit.

About a twenty yards in, Artemis discovered this obstacle was going to be a little more difficult than your garden-variety play-set. Upon hearing what sounded like a muffled roar, Artemis craned her neck over her shoulder to surprisingly find spouts of fire jetting across where they had been. Proceeding backwards on the monkey bars for a little bit, she observed their pattern and turned back around.

"Move it!" she called out to Kid Flash. "We're being chased by flamethrowers. They're spaced out at five yards and keeping pace with us."

"We did ask for something more exciting," Kid Flash replied nonchalantly as he picked up the pace.  
>They looked like they were doing fine with only about ten yards of bars left when something even more unexpected then the fire happened: without warning, the bar beneath Kid Flash's hands crumbled to pieces.<p>

Artemis didn't waste a moment's thought. Without hesitation, she swung herself into a dive and followed Wally down toward the darkness. As she caught hold of him, the archer pulled a grappling gun from her belt and aimed for the last bar. Neither released a breath until the line finally went taut.

"Thanks. Close call," Kid Flash stated breathlessly.

"No problem. This thing retracts, but we have to lessen the tension to hook it up to my belt."

"Sorry, kind of a dead weight right now, aren't I?" the boy apologized, embarrassed as he realized he was clutching her bare waist.

"No," Artemis replied plainly, "if I had missed you, _then_ you'd be dead weight. The wall's only a few yards away-help me reach it, would you?"

"Sure thing," Wally accepted as he started swinging with Artemis, "but one question: if we're not already at the wall, doesn't that mean your grappling hook is...?"

"...is up with the flamethrowers on the bars?" the archer finished. Then, with a smile, "Yeah. But my cord is pretty resilient."

"Okay, I'll trust you on that one."

Once they had reached the wall, Artemis buried an arrow in the rock. After guiding Wally's hand to the new handhold and making sure he'd found secure footholds, Artemis instructed, "Give me some support; I need to do the transfer." Leaning back on her partner's free arm, Artemis switched the devices and took the time to adjust for weight. Once everything was set, the archer grabbed the wall and replaced her arrow. Swinging back out with Wally holding on, she started the retraction system. The pair steadily made their way up, stopping a safe distance under the flames. The two found the ledge and Artemis pressed the release.

The heroes continued on, expecting a second obstacle to appear at any moment-after about five minutes of jogging, the caution paid off. As the crack of gunfire sounded off, Artemis was prepared and quickly found cover for her partner and her.

"Sounds like the rest of the gang decided to pay a visit," Wally joked as Artemis confirmed the presence of the two tanks and five robots they had left behind still standing.

"Okay. Wait for my signal. I'm going to take out the tanks, then we'll charge the line."

"And you plan on taking down two armed tanks how?" Kid Flash questioned with doubt.

With a playful smirk, Artemis responded, "Just like Bialya." Turning, Artemis quickly found a vantage point, aimed, and shot. The arrow detonated beneath the back of the leftmost tank, tearing pieces of metal off in the explosion and flipping it over on top of one of the robots. As the line regrouped, Artemis rolled to a new location and successfully repeated the action on the other tank. "Now!" she called out. "12:40!"

Kid Flash bolted forward, bracing for a tackle. Artemis rushed out, shooting down one robot as she did so, dodging the line of bullets and engaging a second in combat once she had reached the chaos. The archer ordered her partner to track back and take on the last robot as she put the finishing touches on her own adversary.

Panting and surrounded by scrap metal, Artemis allowed herself a proud smile as she surveyed their handiwork. "Good job," she congratulated the hero beside her. "Let's find that exit."

"But we were having so much fun!" Kid Flash complained playfully, the sarcasm only half true.

"Don't worry," Artemis assured him as they picked up the jog once again, "there's probably _plenty_ more fun in store."

* * *

><p>Okay, so we got through RobinMM…and it looks like they've got some guilt left on their chest from the Failsafe exercise. And Artemis/KF are having some mixed feelings, but which side will win out? I mean, we obviously know already (they _are_ my favorite couple after all), but it's fun to watch their rollercoaster of a struggle anyways!

So the next chapter will be Silhouette/Superboy, followed by the group exercise. What challenge will they face? Quien sabe? Je ne'se pais! (Pardon my French, I have no idea how to spell…)

As always, please…READ AND REVIEW! (please?)


	9. Trust Me -- Part 3: The Finish Line

**A Silhouette in the Night**

**AzureVirgo**: thanks so much for the support and the review—wasn't quite feeling the 'aster this past week, but you sure put a smile on my face :)

Alright, so I realized chapter two of my two-part Fillmore arc was getting really long…so now it's a three-part! (Don't worry, I promise no more Fillmore for a while after this. It's getting a little too cray cray with the length. Or maybe not, let me know.) I just really wanted to give everyone their fair share of personal time earlier on in the story, so I'm sorry if it feels tedious.

Just a warning for anyone who's reading this chapter first: it's a long fic. It has a lot of building points, but certain chapters can be skipped I suppose… However, do expect weekly updates. Hopefully, I won't pull a YJ and go on another hiatus. (Btw, if you want to get the best show back on air, search "Young Justice ipetition" and sign the online petition for the return of that young justice! word!) On a side note, the calendar's about to lap the story dates…so maybe I'll try to update faster to keep up, but only if I have the time available to do so. I've already been planning ahead, so hopefully I can hit the holidays around the right times.

I guess that about covers things…hope you had a good Halloween!

Anyhow, the last chapter focused on Miss M/Robin and KF/Artemis. Now it's the others' turns!

**DISCLAIMER**: I feel like this can just carry over from part one or two. Just in case, I do not own a single thing.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 9: Trust Me (Part 3: The Finish Line)<span>**

**Camp Fillmore, New Mexico: Course 3B – November 9, 16:30 MST**

Superboy emerged from the steel door, Silhouette following close behind. With the blindfold barring her sight, the other senses came more clearly in to focus: her skin tingled with the warmth of yellow sunlight and specks of settling dust; the whistling of the wind, the taste of slightly damper air, and the feel of sand shifting across compact clay illustrated her general surroundings.

"Why don't you describe the area?" Silhouette suggested to Superboy more out of politeness than as an actual question.

"Right. We're in a dessert chasm with exceptionally high walls—almost two hundred feet deep. Right now, the path is only about fifteen yards across," he depicted, causing the girl to reflexively pace out the width. "What's that for?"

"It helps me remember my position."

"It looks like we just follow the trail until we hit an obstacle. Uh, turn left 90 degrees." Upon her adjusting of position so that she was facing forward, Superboy continued, "Okay. Before we get moving, is there anything I should know about you or your powers in particular?"

"You obviously know I can fight; you just learned about the psychic bolts..." After a pause to decide what this boy should know, Silhouette offered, "I have the power of telekinesis."

"Alright, what about telepathy?"

"That I don't have."

"You're a non-telepathic psychic?" he scoffed without realizing it.

"Well, excuse me for not being psychic enough for your taste," she retorted. Quickly, the girl continued, "Whatever, did I mention the heightened senses thing?"

"I remember your telling Wally that you had really good hearing."

"Well, it's more than just the hearing. Right now, I have a vague sense of where we are based on my other senses. If you're leading the way, I should be able to follow you fairly well even without instruction."

"I thought I was _supposed_ to be instructing you."

"I just meant for the simple course. When we get to something challenging, go ahead and instruct away."

Superboy gave the girl a once-over, not sure what to make of her: she wore a blindfold, yet her stance and demeanor were no different than without it. He didn't know whether to be frustrated with the pride or interested in her seemingly uncalled for confidence. "Fine. Follow me."

With Superboy jogging ahead, Silhouette kept pace right behind him as promised. She followed exactly in his footsteps, jumping and maneuvering around boulders that he had done so for. Not once did he hear her falter-pride or confidence, it did bother him a bit. The silence was a bit tense once again.

Making their way around a blind bend in the trail, Superboy slowed to a halt, and Silhouette did the same. His ears tuning in to a sound not so far off, he asked, "Do you hear that?" to which Silhouette gave a nod. Continuing around a few more turns, the pair discovered the source of the racket: a series of rock slabs parting and slamming together at different times.

"It sounds like...a moving wall trap?" Silhouette said aloud, phrasing it as a question to appease Superboy, for in truth she didn't need his assurance for that.

Superboy did not respond. Instead, he sized up the walls at about twenty yards tall and determined that he'd be able to jump them, perhaps in two bounds depending on the length. Turning to his partner, he quickly asked, "You can't levitate, can you?"

Expecting some form of mockery, Silhouette replied curtly, "No."

"Then that means you're coming with me." Before she could even protest the odd statement, Silhouette was swept in to Superboy's arms. Automatically making the connection, she allowed the Kryptonian to carry her through the air in an attempt to avoid the obstacle.

His plan was cut very brief, however: at about ten yards up, the two heroes were prevented from continuing. For a few seconds, it felt as though they were held in suspension as an electric current pulsed through their bodies. Suddenly, both were thrown back to the floor where they rolled to a stop.

Silhouette ached all over and had almost felt herself slip into unconsciousness when she finally mustered the energy to mutter, "—the Hell was that?"

Superboy on the other hand felt fine, clearly not very affected: "Not sure, but I don't think they want us to try it again."

"In that case," she concluded, pausing with a grunt to stand up, "it was most likely some sort of deterrent. Obviously, Red Tornado wants us to go through the course, not find a way around it. Therefore, they put up a shock field in anticipation of your 'leap tall buildings in a single bound' ability. I guess what they didn't anticipate was that you'd be carrying me over and forgot to turn it down from the 'Kryptonian' setting." Upon trying to laugh but ending up clutching at a pain in her ribcage instead, Silhouette shouted to the general area, "Thanks for the consideration, Red!" She was done with being electrocuted. It was not one of those things that landed on her 'favorite parts of being a superhero' list.

"Sorry, I didn't—" Superboy tried.

But Mickey immediately attempted to brush it off: "I'm fine; it's not your fault. A few bruises and scrapes never hurt anyone," Silhouette stated with a convincing smile.

Superboy knew the attack had done a number on the human before him, but if all she wanted to do was shake it off, all he could do was shrug.

"Superboy, Silhouette," Red Tornado's voice announced, "use of powers is prohibited for this challenge."

"Would've been nice to know beforehand, but that's it?" Silhouette questioned skeptically, having expected some dramatic ultimatum. Well, he _was_ still robot.

"He probably doesn't want me smashing through the walls." Looking over his shoulder, Superboy found Silhouette standing at the ready for his command. Before starting, he decided, "Maybe you should stand beside me rather than behind me for this one." After the girl had shifted her position and given him a nod, they began.

The obstacle was nowhere near as difficult as expected. Of course it required a good deal of instruction on Superboy's part and speed on both accounts, but it wasn't exactly physically taxing, which was a relief to the still recovering Silhouette. Maybe Tornado took her well-being to heart after all.

After emerging from the moving walls, the partners found themselves in another stretch of jogging trail, allowing the thoughts of both teenagers to wander aimlessly. It seemed every time they tried to chat, it ended on either neutral or tense terms. Neither detested anything in particular about the other, but they could barely get in a genuine word of friendliness.

Silhouette was about to finally break the silence and strike up conversation, but a noise stole her attention before she could begin. The girl was in the middle of dropping down when she felt Superboy flip her around and envelope her. Within the next second, there was a thud and a grunt as what sounded like a small bomb exploded on the back of his right shoulder.

Feeling in some way violated, Silhouette maneuvered her way out of Superboy's grasp and questioned angrily, "What was that for?"

Unable to believe this girl's ungratefulness, Superboy responded incredulously, "I just saved you, and you'd think maybe you might be a little thankful!"

"I was dodging it!" Another 'click' sound occurred, warning Silhouette to duck once more. This time, Superboy held her back, turned briefly, and extended his arm to catch the bomb midair. He faced the girl in order to see her reaction, but was unpleasantly surprised by her exclaiming, "Stop it!"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Superboy cried out, running his fingers through his hair. A bomb came flying out at that moment, and with what sounded like a contained roar, the Kryptonian backslapped the explosive. Before Silhouette could have the chance to protest, he shouted back, "Why are you so stubborn?!" So maybe he could find something about the girl that struck a nerve after all.

Silhouette knew she should've stopped right there to collect herself, but she was already in a testy mood, and this was one of those times where it would be hard to draw herself out of it. "And you're not? I can damn well take care of myself! God! Why do you get so deep under my skin?!" the girl retorted, unsure of that last question herself.

"I was just trying to protect you!"

"I don't need your protection or your patronizing!" Dodging a bomb and moving slightly forward, she continued, "I've always done things MY way, and MY way always seems to work! So maybe I have a little right to be stubborn!"

Superboy was just about ready to punch his partner when he yelled, "Fine! Then maybe you should just take off the blindfold and fail the test!"

"_The test…"_ That smacked Silhouette back to her senses. She was being tested and failing miserably. And when she got to thinking about it, _she_ was the problem. _"No wonder they blindfolded me. I'm horrible at following orders and working with a partner. If I can't even accomplish this simple trial, how can I be an active member of the Team for a real mission?"_

After taking a deep breath to sort the emotions from her more logical common sense, Silhouette tried her best at a sincere apology: "Well, that escalated quickly, and I am truly sorry. Not just for right now, but for earlier, too." Dodging another bomb, she continued, "I've been on my own for a long time, so I've always had to do things by myself—no partner, no backup, no team. The change is challenging, to say the least. I've never really worked well with others. I apologize for the lame excuse, but there it is."

How is it that this girl could still surprise him? One moment, she's on his back about some trivial thing; the next, she's showing him what seems like heartfelt remorse. Of course Silhouette was being testy and obstinate, but Superboy most certainly had his fair share of moments like these for his own reasons. Realizing this was possibly what he used to look like on the average day, he apologized, "I'm sorry, too. I know I can be a jerk sometimes." On reflex, he jumped in front of another bomb, but turned to see that Silhouette was in the middle of ducking and rolling. "But you're still inconceivably stubborn."

I prefer 'tenacious,'" she replied with a smile as she got to her feet, "or 'headstrong.'"

"Then I guess we're headstrong together," he smiled back.

"I'd like to see someone _try_ to win an argument against us."

"They'd probably give up before we could even beat them." Laughing, the two continued on through the firing range with relative ease. Silhouette even allowed Superboy to block a few bombs for her.

Superboy had to admit he was puzzled by Silhouette. Artemis was similarly hostile, but she never apologized; the archer had never showed him any other side. M'gann never got angry at any of her friends, let alone him. Mickey, however, was doing a bit of both—the most appropriate word he could think of to describe her was 'bipolar.' Rather than helping to figure out what her actual personality was like, spending more time with the new Team member just made him downright confused. Superboy didn't know what to do about her.

Curious to find out more about this unusual girl, Superboy lead, "So you were doing the solo act?"

"Yes, in Gotham City," Silhouette replied in a relatively neutral tone. "That's how Bats found me."

"Do you live there?"

"No," she stated immediately before more calmly explaining, "I just thought that if I was going to make an actual difference, I needed a big city with big crimes."

"Okay, so that's why you wanted to be a superhero—to make a difference?"

Knowing she shouldn't, but unsure whether or not she would divulge any more personal information to someone who was practically a stranger, Silhouette almost refrained from continuing. After the past half hour the two had been through, however, maybe they needed something a little deeper to connect on if she wanted to jumpstart this friendship. "It's always been a big part of it. I believe in good people, and I want to protect the innocent from those who wish to do evil. I took down corruption so that the world could be a safer, fairer place."

"So when you got psychic powers, you decided to try your hand at being a vigilante?"

"Well, I always had abnormally acute senses and heightened physical capability; but no, in terms of the actual psychic powers, I had decided that long before they had developed."

"How long?"

"I was eight years old."

"Wow. That's commitment," Superboy stated, impressed. "But you were just a kid, and you didn't even have superpowers—what made you think you could follow through on something like that?"

"Like I said: I'm a tenacious girl. I remember seeing superheroes on the news and in the papers when I was small, amazed at how they would sacrifice their safety for that of the greater good. I was utterly inspired, especially by the heroes without powers, like Batman and Green Arrow. One day, I thought, 'If they could do it, why can't I?' And thus began my training."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Trust me—in no way was it simple. I've worked my whole life to succeed in all my endeavors." Silhouette didn't need to go on, but it had been so long since she opened up to anyone. Why not him? They were going to be fellow Team members anyways, and she wasn't telling him any identifiable details; what harm could come from actually sharing an emotion or two? "There have always been long days and plenty of longer nights." Okay, plenty, but Silhouette wanted desperately to taste what it would be like to put logic aside for just a little while. "But eight arduous years later, this is me, and I wouldn't regret any of it."

Eight years was hard to process for someone like Superboy who had only been walking and talking for four months. Time was a strange concept for him: he felt as though he had sixteen years of knowledge (or more, for that matter) and experience, but his subconscious still had a feeling of anachronism. In all that time, he had no one, not even a teacher. Waking up to a world filled with people, Superboy was still learning how to interact and find his place after dealing with sixteen mental years of solitude, even if he knew that was not the case. Either way, he recognized that eight years was a long time to be in a state of constant work and isolation, especially as a child. "That sounds pretty rough. And lonely."

"Yes, it was. But like I said: no regrets," Silhouette confirmed with a hint of sadness. Now she knew it was time to stop. The heroine had been going for connection, not sappy pity points. Finally shaking it off, Silhouette realized, "The bombs have stopped."

Superboy came to a halt, noticing the same thing. "Maybe we're almost at the end. Let's keep moving."

About two minutes later, however, around a bend they found not an exit, but a giant wall. "Did we reach the exit, or is it something else?" Silhouette asked as her partner slowed down to a stop.

"Something else," Superboy stated as he knocked on the smooth wall to test its thickness. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, causing Superboy to instinctively jump to give his partner cover against the tumbling rocks. With the chorus of roaring sounds echoing around her, baffling her senses, Silhouette was actually grateful to have some protection. As the dust settled, Superboy turned to find a similar wall had appeared behind them. "That can't be good."

"What?" Silhouette asked in a relatively calm tone. "What can't be good?"

"We're trapped—two solid rock walls about fifty yards apart. Another obstacle?"

As if in response, Red Tornado announced, "This challenge prohibits Superboy from using superpowers to escape and Silhouette from using any psychic abilities. Silhouette must retrieve a passkey in order for the two of you to move forward."

"Alright, so I can't smash through the wall, but what passkey is Red talking about?" Looking around, Superboy at first could find no such object. However, when he began looking higher up to see if they could find a way to climb over instead, the Kryptonian noticed a cord strung across the sides of the canyon about as high up as the walls. At the center, a metal object flashed in the sunlight, which must have been the key. "I think I found it, but it's pretty high up—maybe fifty yards. I could get it if I jumped, but if we're supposed to follow his words to the letter…"

"Right. And no telekinesis or energy bolts. I have a mini grappling gun in my belt, but it only extends about eight yards—didn't think I would need to pack heavy today. Any ideas on how to get me up the other majority of the way?"

Superboy did have something in mind, but both heroes were distracted by a sound from nearby. Upon turning, the Kryptonian realized that a small army of robots prepared for combat had formed on either side of him and Silhouette.

"What is it?" Silhouette inquired, unable to discern what exactly was encroaching upon their space. The girl drew back to back with her partner, slowly following his lead in circling as she raised her arms for a fight.

"A few robots, give or take a dozen—got to keep it interesting, right?" Superboy remarked with a smirk.

With a composed shrug, Silhouette joked, "Seems manageable. I have your back if you have mine."

With Superboy's word of confirmation, the fighting commenced. The robots came on fast from all around, but the two heroes held their ground. Several would attack Superboy at a time, but luckily, the most that would assault Silhouette was two. As long as he maintained an awareness of his surroundings, Superboy was able to avoid getting beaten down by the numbers, all the while shouting instructions to make sure Silhouette had a clear grasp on her assailants. They even used the time to try out a couple of the maneuvers Black Canary had taught them.

Once the two had gotten to a point where they were successfully keeping the flow of robots at bay, Superboy decided they had an opportunity to focus on their next step: "I have an idea." Seeing a set of three robots quickly approaching Silhouette from the rear, Superboy interjected, "Hold on, three hostiles at your six o'clock, maneuver four!"

Silhouette immediately ran towards her partner, arms extended in front of her. Superboy clasped her forearms, spun around twice to gain momentum, and then released the girl so that she went flying feet first at the robots, knocking the group down like bowling pins. Emerging from the crouch she had landed in, Silhouette thanked the Kryptonian before having to fight more robots.

No discussion then—next chance, he'd just have to call it out. A couple minutes later, another lull arose, allowing Superboy to order, "Making a go at the passkey: Silhouette, maneuver seven!"

Smiling as she realized his plan, Silhouette ran her way back toward Superboy. When he shouted the signal, Silhouette jumped up, her feet landing upon his clasped fingers. Within the next moment the heroine was bulleting up through the air, propelled by her partner's super strength. Superboy had to return to the fight, but he quickly called out, "Grappling hook, directly above you!"

Silhouette followed the command just as she began to lose momentum. The heroine drew a deep breath as she proceeded to fall but released it in a sigh of relief as her line went taught. Hoisting herself up, Silhouette fumbled with the cord above her until she found the passkey. However, now that her prize was secure on her belt, Silhouette had another problem to deal with: getting down. "Hey, Superboy," she announced, "a little help coming down?"

"Working on it," the Kryptonian responded as he smashed two robots together. After formulating a quick plan, he continued, "Let go!"

"But my line isn't long enough!"

"Just trust me!"

After another deep breath, Silhouette unnecessarily shut her eyes and released her grappling line. The free fall lasted an exhilarating seven seconds until she was redirected by what she could only assume to be Superboy. Taking his partner by the waist with one arm, the Kryptonian used his super jump to aim for the canyon wall, gradually climbing his way down the rock.

"Well," Silhouette began a little flustered, "thank you for catching me."

"No problem." Looking around, Superboy remarked, "Hey—looks like the robots are gone."

Silhouette was about to confirm the observation when a roaring rumble replaced the previous drone of the robots. The ground shook as it had earlier, causing the confused girl to inquire, "Now what?"

Superboy felt it was unnecessary to explain that the other wall was falling forward, threatening to flatten the pair if they didn't escape quickly. "We're in a situation, just get the passkey out, fast," Superboy urged as he pulled the girl toward the opposite wall.

Unsure what to do with the rectangular, metal object, Silhouette held it flat against the wall. To their surprise, a doorway slowly opened up in the wall in front of them. Superboy anxiously looked behind him to find the giant slab of rock had picked up speed and was almost on top of them. Without waiting for approval, Superboy picked up Silhouette and leapt through the opening with her. Dust blasted through after them and settled as the two raised their heads.

Panting lightly, Silhouette realized that Superboy still had his arm around her. Prior to meeting him, she might have acted on something like that; however, now that she knew the Kryptonian better and was trying to form an actual friendship, it just felt out of place. Silhouette nonchalantly lifted Superboy's arm off of her and rolled backwards to stand up. "Well, that was fun and all, but we better get a move on. Lead the way."

Five minutes of jogging later, the partners cut around a bend to find a huge opening into what looked like a sunken coliseum. Towards the center, Superboy made out a few figures that he believed to be Aqualad, Zatanna, Artemis, and Kid Flash. "I can see the center; we made it."

When they finally reached the end, Superboy instructed Silhouette to take off her blindfold. Blinking away the sunshine, she lamented, "Looks like we were a little slow."

"I know, it's hard to get on my level—so let me take you there, babe," the speedster commented, his arm somehow already around her shoulders.

Putting the limb into an elaborate twist and turning to face him, Silhouette responded with a smile, "Thanks, but no thanks, KF." She immediately released her grip afterwards and made her way over to Aqualad.

"Hard to get," he winced, rubbing his arm but chuckling embarrassedly, "I can work with that."

"Oh, grow up," Artemis deplored with an eye roll, taking Silhouette's lead to gather around their leader.

"Already on it, Artie! After all, I _will_ be a year older this _Thursday_," Kid Flash stated with exaggerated emphasis, loud enough for the rest of the Team to hear it as well.

"Robin, we made it!" the group heard from the last canyon entrance. Miss Martian emerged around the bend with the Boy Wonder following directly below. "I think you can take off your blindfold now."

Looking around with his own eyes, Robin realized disappointingly, "Last? Batman will have my head for this…"

"It appears we have all accomplished our tasks," Aqualad announced, taking charge once again of their group.

"So now what?" Superboy questioned.

Noticing the timer on Robin's watch still had around fifteen minutes on it, the Atlantean answered calmly, "Now, we wait."

* * *

><p>The minutes ticked down as the sets of partners shared their experiences, each keeping select pieces of personal moments to themselves. Aqualad determined the best way to prepare was to compare notes on the challenges they had faced. But after hearing about all the obstacles, he decided they could also use a short break. The Team was acting unusually casual with one another: Artemis and Kid Flash had a relatively friendly discussion about a book they had read, Robin listened earnestly as Miss M tried to remember some Martian jokes, Zatanna stood eager to learn as Aqualad showed her some of his own maneuvers—even Superboy refrained from gravitating towards M'gann, opting to explain to Silhouette how he met his odd pets, Sphere and Wolf.<p>

Robin glanced down at his watch and nodded to Aqualad-two minutes left. Aqualad acknowledged the time with a nod of his own and threw a look toward Miss Martian, who understood it as a signal to establish their telepathic link.

"_Team,"_ Aqualad stated in his mind, immediately silencing the members. As they reigned in their thoughts, he continued, _"The time of attack draws near. We know not what we face nor where it shall emerge from. Stand at the ready around the central podium. Once someone detects activity, Zatanna will draw us a form of cover, and I will position you accordingly."_

The Team members mentally voiced their understanding and found positions around the cylindrical rock, carefully watching for signs of an opponent. Aqualad looked once again to Robin, who confirmed his thought with a simple nod. Turning back to watch his surroundings, Aqualad cautioned, _"It is time."_

All of a sudden the ground began to shake violently: all three exits were being closed off by giant, rising walls of rock. _"Focus on the arena!"_ Aqualad ordered as he felt the attentions of some members slip.

Once the rock and roar had settled, Red Tornado's voice followed, "This is the final task for today. There are four keys present in the arena. Four of you must obtain these keys without aid from other Team members." Immediately, the teenagers scoured the arena with their eyes, searching for the keys. Superboy and Silhouette were the first to notice two hanging on cords on opposite sides of the arena, like their challenge. Not there before, the cords must have been strung during the chaotic rumbling.

Without falter, Tornado continued, "These keys must be handed off to the remaining four members who will insert them at northern, eastern, southern, and western locations of the arena to move on. Your challenge begins now." As his voice tuned out, openings all over the walls swarmed with robots, some armed, some only prepared for combat. Several tanks rolled out, and around fifty robots lined the arena ledge above them.

"_Zatanna!"_ Aqualad instantly commanded.

The sorceress nodded back and shouted over the din, "Nommus dnas mrots!" In response, the desert dust picked up, swirling around the arena.

Aqualad took advantage of the moment's disorder to organize the Team: _"Artemis, Silhouette-you will retrieve the first two keys. Zatanna, do you know of incantation that will reveal the locations of the last two?"_

"_I could try tweaking my dad's locator spell, but I would need a few minutes to focus my energy,"_ she offered.

"_That would suit us well. Superboy, provide cover for Zatanna. As soon as we know the locations, I will decide who should obtain the remaining two keys. The rest, spread out: protect each other and bring down our adversaries-tanks and the robots above us are first priority."_

Once their leader had finished, the Team members did as they were told. Zatanna sat in meditation behind the cover of the podium, using a quick spell to block out noise. Superboy stood in front of her, ready to take on anything that came their way. Kid Flash zoomed around the arena, taking out disoriented robots by the handful. Robin's mischievous laugh resounded against the rock as tanks exploded, seemingly at random. Aqualad switched between cutting down robots with his water-bearers and good-old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. Miss Martian crashed two tanks in to one another, then levitated up to do some damage to the high ground line.

Artemis and Silhouette ran in opposite directions, dodging bullets and fighting robots. Realizing how exposed the two would be as they attempted to retrieve their far-off prize, Aqualad ordered, _"Kid, protect Artemis; I'll cover Silhouette."_

Kid Flash sped over to the archer and joked, _"Fancy seeing you again!"_

"_Wally,"_ Artemis thought, finally able to use the boy's name in an annoyed fashion again, _"just cover me, would you?"_

"_Alright, save the comedy for later, I got it,"_ the speedster replied, for once backing down, to the girl's surprise.

Artemis smiled, conveying her approval with a nod. Wally fended off oncoming robots in a mad rush, creating another dizzying dimension to the dust storm. The archer had to strain her eyes in order to locate the key again. Fortunately for the city heroine, her quiver was stocked with two magnetized arrows.

Unfortunately, attaching a line to an arrow that would have to travel so high up through this storm would have practically no accuracy. If she could just get the key lower, she'd have a much better chance to hit her mark... Quickly working out a plan, Artemis put it into action. With a normal arrow, the archer shot through the individual cord the key hung from. The object flashed as it dropped straight down through the clouds of sand, weighted as she had expected it to be. Once the key was in comfortable range, Artemis aimed her second arrow and hit her mark. Having retracted the line, Artemis detached the key from her arrow. Aqualad's voice was soon in her head, telling her to hold on tight to her prize.

On the other end of the arena, Silhouette dealt with the same problem: Aqualad kept robots off of the heroine as she found her own method of getting her key. Luckily, telekinesis really helped in these sorts of situations. Ripping it from the cord, Silhouette brought down the prize. Simple enough...although a group of robots with upper ground might have knocked it out of the air if not for Miss Martian's interference. Silhouette stashed the key in her belt and joined Aqualad in fighting the enemy.

Back at the center, Superboy had his hands full protecting Zatanna. Considering none of the Team members had heard anything from Zatanna's end, they assumed she was still in deep concentration.

Zatanna had been working on her spells and casting ever since her first visit to the Cave, and noticeably improving-now she could come up with new incantations on the fly, even under pressure. Unlike the location spell she had used before, however, there was no map to manifest the directions on. This would require a different kind of energy to work.

In theory, all magic leaves its trace-so in this case, it was only a matter of picking up the trail. Zatanna focused her manna out, probing her surroundings for the energy lines of the area. Little cables danced around her as they came in to the physical plane, briefly attracted to her fingertips like magnets. Or perhaps a more accurate statement would be that she had found her way in to _it_: a space between the spaces-a network that linked all energies, like loose fibers in a constantly changing web.

Properly set amid the lines, Zatanna took a deep breath and proclaimed clearly through the sand storm, "Etacol eht rehto syek!" The two remaining keys might have started to faintly glow, but no one could really tell through the dust, especially considering how weak the initial mark would be; however, the visual was of no concern. The sorceress allowed her hands to hover around her space until each felt a slight tug. When she grasped these cords, each pulled slightly back: the keys were within reach. Following the lines to their roots, Zatanna distinguished the keys by the marks of magic she had left with her spell; surprisingly, one was closer than she had imagined.

Releasing all but those two energy flows from the space around her, Zatanna notified her teammates, _"I found the keys: there's one inside a robot on the northeast end, and the other is buried within this column,"_ transmitting to the others what she saw. For an added touch, the sorceress quickly commanded, "Syek enihs der!" Still linked by the energy cords, the keys immediately burned bright red; even the rocky hiding place seemed to emanate a strange light.

"_I have visual!"_ Robin let his Team know as he spotted one of the robots glowing red.

"_Good. Robin, retrieve that key-Zatanna, the other," _Aqualad ordered.

Robin proceeded to engage the robots in battle, making his way toward Rudolph the red-breasted robot. Getting in close, the boy placed a small disarming bomb on its chest and found cover behind another combatant. The robot fell to the ground twitching, and Robin easily pried off its front plate to obtain his prize. Zatanna improvised a couple spells to cut through the rock and get her key. Both turned their attentions toward their leader's thoughts, ready for the next step.

"_Tornado required a handoff. Zatanna, deliver your key to Superboy; Miss Martian, find Robin; Kid Flash, Artemis; Silhouette, me."_ Once the keys had been passed off to their respective recipients, Aqualad continued, _"Everyone to a corner: Kid Flash-south, Miss Martian-east, Superboy-west; I will take north. Search for insertion points."_

"_Actually,"_ Superboy interjected, _"Remember how Silhouette and I had a similar challenge? We just had to hold our key up to the wall."_

"_Then we acknowledge our next step. Team, move out."_ Once the four members had reached the walls, Aqualad ordered the other three to simultaneously do as Superboy had done. For a few moments, all stood around, wondering whether anything would happen. Suddenly, everything seemed to quiet down: robots stopped whirring, bullets ceased flying, tanks rumbled back in to their holes. The only sound that remained was the whine of the sand storm. Zatanna called off the enchantment, and all was still.

"So...is it over?" Kid Flash questioned, daring to speak out loud once again.

As if in response, four doors opened where each key had been placed. The four heroes peered inside the dark passages, wondering whether these were the exits. To their simultaneous surprise, slabs of the floor upon which they stood sprang up, launching them through the openings and shutting them off tightly.

The remaining four, confused as to what had just happened, stood at the ready. Quickly, Robin called out to the girls, "Regroup at base!"

"Any ideas about why the heck our team was just cut in half?" Artemis inquired as she arrived at the central column.

"Some aspect of the training, just roll with it," he explained quickly.

"But with Aqualad M.I.A., who leads?" Silhouette asked, unfamiliar with the chain of command.

"I do," Robin immediately stated. Silhouette might have protested her usually arrogant companion's takeover, but his serious air and commanding tone transformed him in a way that assured the heroine this wasn't about keeping score. Thirteen or not, Robin meant business.

"Your teammates have finished today's training," Red Tornado boomed the PA system. "As a continuation, you four must conquer one more challenge: neutralize your adversary. Begin."

Before the group had much time to react, the central column rose in to the air, becoming the head of a giant rock monster towering around thirty feet tall. The creature seemed roughly humanoid in build, other than the fact it had no neck or mouth. From somewhere buried beneath the rugged exterior, a deep growl grew into a resonating roar as the thing took its first steps toward Zatanna.

Robin did a quick assessment of the Team: a sorceress, an archer, a telekinetic fighter, and himself. Not quite the squad he would have chosen for this fight, but they could make it work. "Zatanna—distract the monster!" The sorceress looked up at her massive adversary with reluctance, but gave an acquiescent nod. She did smile, however, when Robin gave her a quick grin and thumbs-up for encouragement.

The other two girls gathered around their mission leader. "So, what's the plan, chief?" Artemis asked.

"Unless any of you are seriously holding out on us, we don't have the power to take this thing down directly – even with explosives. However, we can put what we do have to use: Artemis, you and I will push it back to one of the walls; when he's close enough, Silhouette and Zatanna will start burying him in a rockslide. Alright?"

The heroes confirmed their understanding with a nod and set out on his mark. Artemis shot a gas arrow in the monsters face, shielding Silhouette from view as she ran to tell Zatanna of the plan. The two girls found positions in a corner of the arena, climbing up for higher ground, as the rock creature turned to face its new targets: Robin and Artemis, who were hitting it with a barrage of explosives.

"I think I'm going to run out of arrows before this thing falls back!" Artemis called out to Robin. Unfortunately, the archer had a point—the monster was not retreating as easily as planned, angrier and more stubborn than Robin had assumed.

As a split decision, Robin shouted, "Then maybe it'd rather chase!" The Boy Wonder proceeded to quickly bolt between the monster's legs, drawing its attention to him. The hulking creature followed accordingly, to Robin's relief.

However, this action put a little snag in the plan. Silhouette and Zatanna hadn't planned for their leader to be running straight in to the crossfire of a rockslide and were unsure how to proceed. As Robin neared, however, both could hear his command: "Do it!" The order was repeated as Robin came closer to being cornered.

"Evig mih retlehs! Gid a eloh!" Zatanna quickly called out, carving a ditch in the ground by Robin's feet. He dropped in, and Zatanna covered it with a sturdy boulder before initiating the rockslide. Having climbed a good distance up the wall, Silhouette took the moment and close proximity to abrade an already weakened spot on the monster's shoulder with an onslaught of energy bolts, finally tearing off its ten-foot arm. The psychic told Zatanna to do the same on the other side just before the cacophony drowned out her voice. The sorceress, not strong enough to disassemble an animate creature held together by such solid bonds, instead enchanted the cords previously holding the keys to bind the monster's legs, while Silhouette perpetuated the rockslide through telekinesis and Artemis by her last explosive arrows. Their foe toppled and was soon buried by its own element.

Once the dust had settled and the girls observed no further movement, Silhouette quickly climbed down to unearth Robin. Clearing away the rubble, she found the boy covered in dust and coughing up a storm. "Thanks," Robin managed.

"No problem," Silhouette replied with a smile. "I figured you might need oxygen sometime soon."

"Oh my gosh—I'm so sorry!" Zatanna apologized as she realized her mishap, having just reached the ground.

"Hey, don't worry about it; if it wasn't for you, I'd be a pancake right about now. Good job for thinking on your feet," Robin praised with a light squeeze to her shoulder. The sorceress responded with a sheepish blush, still a little flustered by the speed of the past two minutes.

"Well, it looks we got it," Artemis declared as she climbed over the pile of rocks to reconvene with her teammates. "_Now_ are we finished?"

"Congratulations, Team," Tornado announced, using the speakers one last time. "Return to base for debrief." The central podium that had been the original gathering spot slowly lowered in to the ground, becoming a spiral staircase as it did so. The group gladly followed the steps down, boarding a tram pod that returned them to the depot they had left less than two hours prior.

Once the remaining Team members had finally made it back to the ground base, they were warmly received by their other half. Wally made his way over to the archer and joked, "Artie—long time, no see! So, what did we miss?"

"Not much—Red had a giant rock monster he wanted us to take care of."

"Sounds like a party."

"Too bad you weren't invited," Artemis teased with faux sympathy. "Speaking of which, what happened with you guys?"

"_We_ got to cut class early," Wally replied smugly.

"Whatever, Baywatch," the archer replied with an eye roll. "You still had to wait in the clubhouse for us."

Beaten by the point, the impatient boy responded: "Fine. Either way, I have an English paper to write when I get home. So I'm ready to go home!" Wally called out down the back stairwell, hoping their android supervisor would speed up. Receiving a disapproving look from the archer, he shrugged his shoulders and explained defensively, "Meeting on a school night is weird, alright?"

In the meantime, Zatanna and Mickey found M'gann, who had returned to Conner's side. Robin reported in to Aqualad, filling in the actual leader and receiving his congratulations for a job well done. Finally, Red Tornado emerged from back door. "Each of you will receive individual reports for each stage of the course, which must be reviewed prior to our scheduled reunion this Friday. Let us return."

The Team followed suit through the Zeta-beam teleporter, anxious about the looming piles of homework waiting for them at home. Upon their arrival, the android was found shuffling sheets of printed paper in to manila folders. After their supervisor had handed off each report, Zatanna remarked, "Well, I never guessed we'd get more homework out of this."

"Just one of the many perks of being a superhero," Robin smiled back.

"Alright, this has been fun and all, but I'm heading home," Wally announced, stretching out. "Have a good week everybody! It might be a little hard for me, although, considering my _birthday_'s still _two_ days away!" The whole Team joined Artemis in a unanimous eye roll. "So I'm just going to get going…bye now!"

Once the computer had logged Kid Flash out, Robin turned to face the Team. "So, let's all try to get here as soon as school ends. How does 3:30 sound?" After receiving a round of agreement, he continued, "M'gann, Conner, Zatanna: can you cover decorations?"

The Kryptonian and the sorceress nodded, but the Martian interjected, "I was actually going to bake him a cake."

"At the rate he eats, better make that two," Mickey joked, even though she probably had a point. "I'll see if I can get here earlier to pitch in."

"Good. I'll bring the paper goods and a plate of cookies, just in case; Artemis, could you pick up punch mix and maybe something else?" After Artemis let him know she would have it covered, Robin continued, "I'll have him arrive around 4 o'clock. Kaldur?" Robin stated, passing the baton back to their leader.

"I will let the Flash and Red Arrow be known of the celebration's time and location. On a more pragmatic note, good work today, Team. I believe we gained a great deal from the Fillmore course. Until Thursday afternoon," Kaldur finished. The Team members looked among themselves and grinned, realizing they had indeed learned much more than just tactical maneuvers.

* * *

><p>Mleh, sub-par ending line, but the Fillmore arc is finally done! I know I said the "others" would get the spotlight this chapter and then casually skipped Aqualad and Zatanna bonding, sorry… But I hope you guys enjoyed the storylines I <em>did<em> focus on.

Anyways, next chapter is Wally's birthday! (Which I didn't realize until now is on 11-11, how cool?) How are the others preparing, especially a certain archer? And what about birthday boy himself? Warning you now, I will be integrating some parts from the episode "Coldhearted"—the series is just too well-done to completely ignore certain points of genius.

Until then, please read & review! (Actually though…reviews are such a morale boost)


	10. Birthday Wishes

**A Silhouette in the Night**

Happy birthday to you…happy birthday to youuuu….happy birthday, dear Wallyyyy…..happy birthday to you! (I mean, my beautiful voice is obviously his secret birthday wish.) Anyways, the gang is back from Camp Fillmore (where things got a little personal), and it is Wally's sweet sixteen! But what does the speedster really want on his special day? And how did he spend that snow day anyways? Let's find out ;)

Just saying, some of this will build off of parts from the episode Coldhearted. It's one of my favorite episodes, and I'd really like to throw it in here. For the most part, it will be scenario similarities, so don't freak out about copy-cat-ness.

Btw, sorry that this chapter was later than promised! Kind of annoyed that I missed the actual date by a couple days… I was going to finish editing and post yesterday, but then I got sick and just kind of lied in my bed in misery for a few hours after practice before starting homework. Fun stuff. And just a head's up: next chapter might be a little late, too—the last two days before thanksgiving break are brutal.

Big thanks to **wolfs rain lover123**, **AzureVirgo**, and **Oiten** for reviewing! **AzureVirgo**: we'll see about her powers ;) AND **Oiten**: we'll see about Roy, too ;) haha but it might be a tad farther in the future; still debating timing.

In the meantime, a very Spitfire chapter!

**DISCLAIMER**: Don't anything. Not Young Justice, not the Happy Birthday song, not Starbucks… nada.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 10: Birthday Wishes<span>**

**Gotham City – November 10, 20:12 EST**

An icy gust of wind whipped through the streets of downtown Gotham, forcing several people to find shelter indoors. The unusually drastic cooling of weather had tourists and locals alike bundling up, searching for a warm respite from the harsh elements. Fortunately for them, even on a Wednesday night in November, restaurants and shops didn't close until late – one of the many perks to living in a "city that never sleeps."

For one girl in particular, this fact was especially fortunate, considering her packed schedule. Once school had been let out, Artemis boarded a metro to Gotham City University, where she worked part-time in a research lab. Funny thing was she never would have dreamt of getting connected with such a prominent facility; however, as soon as she had accepted that Wayne Foundation scholarship, heads of recognized labs across the city began sending emails and letters _to her_, requesting she apply for their programs. After being accepted in to the majority of them, the teenager decided on the program that allowed her the most flexibility to accommodate school work and her... "second job." At first, walking in to an actual state-of-the-art research lab was slightly intimidating; however, Artemis was smart a girl, quickly learning procedure and falling into routine. So, for a little over a month, she had been going to the lab most Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30pm to around 6:30pm, carrying out experiments and doing homework in between. And as it was only volunteering, the school even put up a decent compensation as part of some newly funded internship program. To say the least, it was a pretty sweet deal.

Tonight, however, Artemis decided on staying late in order to make up for missing the usual Tuesday and Thursday. At least Green Arrow hadn't called her out to Star City; as much as she loved patrolling with her mentor, taxing time zone difference and all, tonight just wasn't the night. Part of the crowd still venturing the nearly freezing cold streets, Artemis tightened her scarf and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head. The girl had less than an hour before the shops closed but still had no idea what to get her best friend-and she knew for a fact he'd complain if it was anything less than perfect.

But dare she call him that? They'd only known each other for a few months, yet the two had become so close, it would be hard to guess so. And considering Artemis rarely had time to see her old friends and only a few Gotham Academy students were not complete snobs, her options were limited. Of course Zatanna and M'gann were the first girls Artemis would find to deal with emotions, but Wally was also for some reason easier to open up to than most people. Around him, the archer never felt like she was being judged—teased, definitely, but not in a way that actually conveyed contempt (well, they did have a rough first week). Something about the speedster made Artemis feel comfortable; he didn't pry, but he was always willing to listen when she had a problem to vent or a story to share. So yes, against all conventions, she did dare to call Wally West a best friend.

Now if only she could find him a gift... Her first thought was a gift card to one of his favorite fast food places, but, deeming it too impersonal, the girl shelved the idea as a last resort. Passing by a toy store, Artemis laughed to herself, "_He's not _that_ much of a kid_." She continued down the street, glimpsing the variety of window displays even though nothing caught her attention. As time winded down, Artemis made the split decision to try the next shop she came across—an antique library—in the hopes of finding an interesting book.

A bell tinkled as the door creaked inward, drawing in a draft that ruffled the pages of propped open books. The owner, an old man with horn-rimmed glasses, greeted Artemis with a warm smile and directed her toward the bookcases. Protected from the cold that seeped through the glass, the back of the store was pleasantly warm and dry. Artemis picked out a few books from the science fiction section and leafed through their yellowed pages, trying to determine the intrigue of the contents. Checking her watch with a sigh, she found a couple decent books that would have to do.

Artemis made her way to the front, placing the books on the glass counter as she reached inside her school bag for her wallet. While searching for the bills and coins to make the transaction exact, the girl noticed a collection of antique items. One thing in particular had caught her eye when the man, holding up a white paper bag for the books, inquired, "Will that be all, miss?"

"Actually, could I take a look at that?" Artemis requested, pointing out the item she had spotted. The shopkeeper unlocked the case, delicately lifting the object of choice with a cloth from its velvet pedestal. Artemis examined her selection, liking the idea all the more by the moment; even if Wally didn't think it very cool, she decided it wouldn't hurt to add something else to the already obscure present. "I'll take it. Do you have a box? It's a gift."

The man nodded with a knowing smile, taking the object back to place in a separate box. "An excellent choice, if I may say," he commented as he placed the box on top of the books. "Most people can't appreciate the craftsmanship in things like this anymore. He must be a lucky young man."

"Excuse me?" Artemis inquired, flustered by the out-of-the-blue assumption.

"Well, for whom else would a young miss buy a pocket watch?"

Her cheeks flushing a tint redder, Artemis stood in shock for a few moments. Her first thought was that this man needed to get his head out of whatever century he was still stuck in. Her second was more on the defensive side: it's not like she was getting the pocket watch as an intimate thing—it just looked really cool. She had no reason to be embarrassed by her choice of gift. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just for a friend's birthday."

Handing his last customer for the night her bag, the man added with confident assurance and a wink, "A special friend indeed."

"Al_right_! Thank you, sir," Artemis interrupted as she grabbed the gift. Hurrying out the door, Artemis turned her head quickly to say goodnight, catching a glimpse of the still smiling shopkeeper and the muted chime of his bell. _"Crazy old man,"_ the girl thought to herself as she quickened her pace for the metro station. The incident definitely left her bothered, but it also brought out a nagging feeling that was hard to suppress once it took root: maybe the man wasn't so crazy after all.

And that's when she got the message from Green Arrow: "Artemis, sorry to ask so late, but do you have a couple hours?" Tonight wasn't the night. But as she checked her bag to find her costume and figured she could pick up a quiver full of arrows from a weapons cache on the way, the archer realized she couldn't really refuse. At least her homework was done.

* * *

><p><strong>Central City – November 11, 07:16 CST<strong>

He tried so hard to block out the blaring alarm—a reminder that another morning meant another day of school—by burying his head deep into the softness of his pillow. He groaned: another restless night. On top of that, the boy still had that English paper to somehow edit before third period. Realizing defeat, his hand fumbled around his nightstand to stop the noise. After taking a few moments to let the morning seep in, he threw his arms out into a well-needed stretch and yawn.

That was when Wally remembered a great reason to wake up: sweet sixteen! If there was one thing the speedster couldn't get enough of, it was birthdays; actually, there were plenty things he couldn't get enough of (chicken whizee, Megan's cookies, Megan…), but birthdays were like all of that wrapped in one. A day all about him! (Even if that was what _every_ day should be like anyways, in his opinion.) Food, presents, special treatment—the speedster couldn't wait to see what was in store. And finally sixteen? He was practically an adult! The ladies would no doubt be _all _over him today.

Turning to check if the sun was shining brighter than usual, Wally found an even better surprise: snow! It was like the universe recognized how awesome this day was meant to be! Ripping the covers off his bed, the speedster rushed to the bathroom and freshened up with a warm shower. Before the cold could seep in to his bones, Wally picked out a warm outfit for the day and packed his schoolbag, making sure his Kid Flash gear was still securely stashed in its hidden pocket at the bottom of his bag.

Not too long after, the tantalizing smell of freshly cooked breakfast lured the boy downstairs. "Mom, whatever you're cooking smells delicious!"

"Good morning to you, too, birthday boy," Mary West laughed as she finished making a stack of French toast slices. "I hope you're hungry."

"Always, mom!"

"Your father's already at the table. Why don't you join him before the food gets cold?"

Wally didn't have to be called twice to a breakfast table. The speedster darted for the table, picking up his fork and knife in excitement as he looked across at the buffet spread out before him. "My favorite breakfast—heaping piles of everything! Thanks, Mom!" Looking over at the man and woman across from him, he smiled gratefully. Wally knew his mother must have gotten up hours ago to cook everything and keep it warm, and his dad had worked overtime for the past couple nights to pay for the monster grocery trip. The Wests weren't tight for money, but Wally knew that if he was constantly running up the food bills to satiate his cravings, they would be. Usually, Wally did well on his part to restrain his stomach at home so that they were only paying to feed two children; he paid for snacks with money earned from his after-school job and took full advantage of the always stocked Cave fridge; furthermore, he only let his parents splurge on holidays and birthdays—another reason to celebrate his sixteenth!

As her son dug in, determined to polish off everything before he had to take off for school, Mary smiled, "Anything for my little boy."

"Moooom," Wally whined with cheeks full of waffle. Considering the way he looked probably wouldn't help his case, the speedster swallowed his mouthful before continuing, "I'm not so little anymore."

"I know, sweetheart," his mother sighed, taking a pancake for her plate. "I always seem to forget just how big you're getting."

His mouth already stuffed with another slice of French toast, Wally managed, "Growing stronger every day!"

Mary smiled contentedly at her son's satisfaction and enthusiasm. After a solid minute of hearing just Wally's chewing, Rudy West laughed a bit and teased, "You know, if you ever come up for air, I can take you to the DMV to get your driver's license after school. This weather would be a good proving ground."

Wally mulled the proposal over between bites of bacon mixed with hash browns. He had done his permit and lessons on time, by request of his parents, and was pretty decent behind the wheel. The car wasn't a problem, either—they could probably get one for cheap and then Wally could easily fix it up on his own, maybe even get his buddy the Boy Wonder to help him out. But why the hurry to drive when he got such a faster rush and travel time from taking a jog? If anything, it meant he wouldn't have to use the back entrance to sneak in to school. _And_ it would be impressive to roll up with a car built by his own hands. Then again, he didn't want to waste his birthday _and_ the snowy weather on waiting in lines and filling out paperwork. "Maybe another day, dad…not in a big rush to drive anyways 'cause, you know, I'm me," Wally explained with blatant arrogance.

Rudy, finding his boy as childish as ever, laughed as he grabbed a pancake and remarked, "You certainly are, son."

"Plus, the Team's throwing me a big surprise party this afternoon at the Cave."

If anything, Wally's zeal kept a smile on his dad's face. "In school today, ask your teacher the definition of surprise."

Making a sandwich out of waffles, bacon, and eggs (*A/N: which sounds amazing…*), Wally continued, "You want surprise? Just watch Miss Martian's expression when I collect my birthday kiss. Ha!"

"Easy there, tiger," Rudy warned as Mary gave him a sideways glance of mock disapproval. However, the father had to laugh again as Wally's birthday ego grew bigger and his prospects of actually winning this girl seemed to grow less and less.

With a roll of the eyes and a smile, Wally's mother continued, "Well, I have a surprise for you—or at least your Aunt Iris does." Checking her watch and picking up the remote, Mary turned on the television to GBS News just in time to hear her sister wish Wally a birthday shout out on the air, receiving an exclamation of approval from the birthday boy. What got an even bigger cheer, however, was the announcement of a snow day for Keystone High.

"Yes! Could this day get any sweeter?"

"I'm glad you're having a nice morning, sweetheart," his mother smiled. "I'm going to go get ready for work."

Glancing at the time on the newscast, his father folded up the newspaper and added, "I suppose I should, too," before making his way to his office to prepare his briefcase.

Wally ate his food at a more leisurely pace from thereon, taking twenty minutes rather than ten to eat his fill. Deciding to save some leftovers for the next few days, Wally went to the kitchen in search of Tupperware and saran wrap. Before leaving for work, Mary and Rudy wished their son a happy birthday and hugged him goodbye.

With the house finally to himself, Wally reveled in the beauty of a snow day for a few minutes. He ran around the house a couple times just for the heck of it, built a snowman, and finished his essay before he could forget about it. Only half an hour in to the day, Wally realized how boring it was going to be on his own.

Grabbing his cell phone, Wally called up his best friend, but got the voicemail: "Hey, Dick! It's the Wall-man! Dude, call me back, birthday boy's orders!" The speedster groaned as he realized the boy was probably still in school, but brightened up at the sound of an incoming message, which was actually just a false hope.

BIRD_BOY: Sorry, buddy. The snow's getting pretty heavy over here—Batman has me on city detail. Happy birthday.

WALL-MAN: Dude! I'm dying of boredom over HERE—I've resorted to homework! What's a snow day if I don't have a friend's virtual butt to kick?!

BIRD_BOY: First off, birthday or no birthday, you could never beat me at videogames. Secondly, the big guy isn't in the best of moods today; not up to saying nay right now. I'll make it up to you later, k?

WALL-MAN: Ugh fine, tell Daddy-Bats I say hi. You better have an amazing present. Now what I'm supposed to do?

BIRD_BOY: I'm not your only friend…

WALL-MAN: fine fine fine, ttyl

"_Ugh, that's too annoying. Now who am I supposed to call up?"_ Wally pondered, flopping onto the couch. He could shoot Megan a text to come over, but why ruin the suspense? He could try Roy, but the eighteen-year-old's angst was not something he felt like dealing with right then. Kaldur was probably in Atlantis, he didn't have Mickey's number, and he didn't even know Zatanna all that well. That left one Team member… Artemis. Did he really want to risk an argument on his birthday? Thinking it over, he realized having her over wouldn't actually be bad—either way, it would be better than nothing. They were getting along better lately anyways, and if they made that good of a team in Fillmore, teaming up against some pair online would probably be a cinch.

Picking up the phone again, Wally pulled up the archer's contact and made the call. Upon getting a confused hello, Wally greeted, "Hey, Artie!"

"Oh, hey, Wally. Happy birthday. Sorry, your caller ID pulled up as private."

"No problem, hate when that happens. So, did you get a snow day?"

"Yeah. You, too?"

"Yep. Alright, I'm about to pull a favor: could you come over? Rob's busy, and I'm getting cabin fever."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, leading Wally to fear she had already hung up. "I don't know, Wally…"

"Oh, come on! Please, Artie? Have a little birthday sympathy!"

Another pause. Then, quickly, as though she might change her mind mid-sentence: "Fine! But only because it's your birthday."

"Alright! Zeta to the Central City stop; I'll meet you there."

"Sure, Wally. I'll be there in about an hour." Hearing a sigh from the impatient boy's end, she amended, "Fine! Half an hour. But I have to go by two o'clock."

"You're the best."

"It's about time you admitted it. See you soon."

As the conversation ended, Wally threw his phone beside him happily. Two seconds later, however, the speedster began to panic: he had just invited Artemis over to his house. Alone. Crap! What if she walked in to the empty house and thought he was planning something weird? Or if it was just plain awkward? The possibilities sent him into a blur of a pacing circuit around the house. In his anxiety, he even ended up raiding the leftovers slated for Saturday. By the time he had calmed down, there were still ten minutes left.

With the Zeta-stop only a flash away for the speedster, Wally decided to leave early and pick something up from a Starbucks nearby. As he made his way for the secluded alley, two hot chocolates in hand, his thoughts wandered back to Artemis: _"Well, if anything _does_ happen, she's sixteen, I'm sixteen... No! I'm not supposed to think about that way about Artemis! I can't! Besides the fact that she's crazy, whatever's going on now is finally working, and I don't plan on screwing that up."_ At least, that was the theory.

* * *

><p>Artemis was temporarily enveloped by a yellow light before the computer recognized her arrival in Central City. With a sports bag slung over her shoulder carrying her archer gear, Wally's present, and supplies for the party later, Artemis exited the abandoned kiosk and searched the seemingly deserted alley for signs of life. The girl was unsure she had arrived in the right place until the familiar boy's voice called out to greet her from behind a dumpster: "Welcome to Central City, Artie!"<p>

"Hey, birthday boy," she replied with a smile before a shiver ran through her whole body, still standing in the shadows. "Jeez, that Zeta was freezing."

"Must have something to do with the atmospheric conditions." Remembering what he had bought for the girl, Wally offered her the cup of cocoa.

Artemis accepted the hot drink with great pleasure. She refrained from hurriedly gulping down the much needed warmth, instead clutching at the cup with her bare fingers in an attempt to draw it out. "Thanks. I didn't know birthdays made you thoughtful."

"Hey, give me some credit—I can be very thoughtful."

"That would imply you had a thought in that head of yours."

"Hey, you can make jokes about my intelligence any other day of the year (well, preferably not holidays), but let's try to tone it down a little on this special occasion."

With a sigh and a smirk, Artemis conceded, "Alright, I'll do my best."

Wally had something else to say, but he stopped short as they walked out in to the light. Artemis came in to a greater extent of clarity: her cheeks rosy from the cold, a very form-flattering turtleneck peaking out beneath a coat, and her hair a richly colorful contrast to the dreary surroundings. He dismissed the feeling, remembering his promise from earlier, and continued, "So, my place is about an hour away by foot, maybe twenty to thirty minutes by cab, a minute by my feet. We could go with the first option, or the second, or..."

Realizing what he was implying, Artemis finished, "Fine, I get it, option number three. But only because it's your birthday, and I'm way too tired to trudge through snow." The girl proceeded to spread her arms, indicating she was ready to go.

In return, Wally pulled his Kid Flash goggles from his back pocket and snapped them over his eyes. As a joke he threw out his arms, too, inciting a laugh from the archer. "Geek," she remarked, giving the boy a friendly a punch to the shoulder as she made her way over to him.

"I'll take that," Wally offered, slinging the sports bag over his own shoulder. Sweeping Artemis off her feet and in to his arms, the speedster smiled and teased, "Admit it: you like being carried."

The act _was_ starting to grow on her. Even without super strength, Wally had more muscle than your average sixteen-year-old, able to hold the girl quite comfortably. But as the wind chill picked up, Artemis shielded her face with Wally's sweater and muttered, "Whatever, Baywatch—if it gets us there faster. I'm not in the mood for this cold."

"You, moody? But you're always so chipper!"

Keeping herself buried in the boy's warmth, Artemis stated curtly, "Long night."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore because..." Wally drew out as he skidded to a stop, "we're here! Home, sweet home." Under the cover of his porch, Wally set Artemis back on her feet. In one quick motion, the speedster opened the door and invited his friend inside.

Compared with the snow storm outside, the warmth of the living room was a much needed change, sending goose bumps up and down Artemis' arms. The archer threw her bag down by the couch, eyeing the interior and approving, "It's nice." Suddenly turning to face the boy, Artemis inquired, "So, what did you have in mind?"

Wally placed his arm behind his head in a nervous stretch—between worrying about his boredom and her coming over, he forgot to actually plan anything. "Umm...do you want to play Halo?"

"So you ask me over to play video games, but you didn't even think to ask if I know how to play?"

Realizing just how unprepared he was for this impromptu get-together, Wally asked slowly, "So do you know how...?"

"No."

"Alright, no video games. How about a movie?"

Turning away from the speedster, Artemis confidently made her way through the dining room as though she owned the place. Without glancing back, she stated, "Sounds good."

"We don't have that many good movies, though; hold on, let me check HBO..." After flipping through a few channels and checking the guide, Wally announced, "Nothing really new... Oh, hey! There's a _Back to the Future_ marathon going on. Do you want to watch that?" Getting a very faint response, Wally darted over to kitchen, where he found Artemis looking in the fridge.

Observing the piles of stored food, Artemis joked, "Were you planning on feeding a small army?"

"Hey, no judging me on how I spend my birthdays."

"Alright, Baywatch." Opening another door she assumed to be a pantry, Artemis continued, "Do you have any popcorn?"

"Fresh out. Hold on, I'll be right back." And with that, the speedster was out the door, leaving his guest unsure of what to expect. The boy would have to actually go in to the store to buy the snack, so Artemis reckoned it would be about five minutes before his return.

In the meantime, Artemis decided to tour the house. Of course, the only room that really interested her was Wally's room. Opening the door, Artemis almost cringed as a strange mixture of cologne and sweat wafted toward her nostrils. As she closed herself inside, the smell actually seemed to dissipate, becoming bearable, as though it perpetually warmed the atmosphere rather than smothering it. The room itself was fairly untidy: bed unmade, textbooks sprawled over the desk, clothes strewn over the floor. Artemis glared at the swimsuit model poster by his bed in contempt, but she decided to look over the indecency once she found the bookcase. The girl ran her finger along the spines of a wide range of scientific books and journals, both classic and new. A smile alighted upon her face as the supple leather of one particularly old volume gave way beneath her touch—maybe he'd appreciate the antiques after all. Turning toward the desk, Artemis began sorting through the chaotic pile of papers, which looked like homework worksheets for the most part.

When she got really curious, Artemis even began looking through drawers. The first one holding anything interesting contained a large, wine-red book. Upon opening it, she found several neatly cut newspaper clippings held securely in plastic pages. Artemis flipped through the book, reading about the exploits of The Flash and his sidekick; The Dynamic Duo of Gotham; the saviors of Star City; our marine martyrs of the deep-all of their best acts stored in one place. The kid really liked his souvenirs. After all the stories, she discovered pages of glossy photographs. The first ones were of different heroes standing or fighting together, primarily Kid Flash with Robin and their mentors. Artemis was surprised to find, however, that a few of them contained members of the Team not mentioned in the press, specifically Superboy, Miss Martian, and her. As far as she could remember, they had never had their pictures taken. Some were from weird angles; others contained nearly the whole Team, just facing a different way. The last picture had a page all to itself, sitting in a pocket at the top left corner. Taking it out to get a closer look, Artemis found it to be a photo of her and Wally: they were coming out of a tunnel in the Cave, both in civvies, both smiling at each other. The photograph, even if from an unknown source, made Artemis smile; it was a nice picture, and they actually looked pretty good together.

The girl had become so enveloped by the pictures that she didn't even notice another person had entered the house, climbed the stairs, and positioned himself outside the bedroom, ear to the wall. Upon hearing the drawers clunking open and the plastic pages crinkling, Wally knew that she had found his book. The speedster waited until she had finished flipping through pages to open his bedroom door and arrogantly lean against the wall. Seeing Artemis' guilty reaction, Wally grinned and teased, "Snooping around, I see."

Her cheeks flushing red, first with embarrassment then anger, Artemis defended, "You're the one who's a borderline stalker," pointing at the book.

Wally ignored the burst of emotion and walked over to the open pages. "It's a scrapbook," he explained. "What's so stalker-ish about that?"

Calming down a little, Artemis admitted, "Fine. But what about the pictures? I definitely don't remember posing for those last ones."

Turning to the pages of less than clear Team photos, Wally continued, "You can blame Bird Boy for those; the little ninja really likes taking photographs, so I ask him to send me a few every now and then. Some of them are actually pretty good. Happy?"

"I think I'm going to have a little talk with Robin about privacy issues the next time I see him."

"Artieeee," the boy whined, knowing Robin would never send him more photos for his scrapbook if she blew the whistle.

With an annoyed sigh, she gave in, "Alright! Jeez, you're really milking the birthday privileges. But if I come back here and find any remotely compromising pictures, I swear I will skewer the both of you."

With a mischievous smirk, Wally joked, "So you're planning on revisiting my bedroom?"

Uncomfortable with how close he was while making the reference, Artemis turned away, arms crossed and eyes rolled, and stated, "Considering how much of a mess this place is, probably not."

"Hold on a sec." To Artemis' annoyance, Wally quickly ushered her out the door, locking it behind her. The girl heard a great clamor of rustling as she tried to get back in. After a couple minutes the noise stopped, and the door clicked open. "How about now?" Wally questioned, standing in the middle of the bedroom.

Artemis reentered the room, in awe of how fast the speedster had tidied it: everything was clean and organized, the smell had lessened, and (to Artemis' great pleasure) even the bikini girl poster had been taken down. "Well, it's definitely an improvement. If it's always like this, maybe I _will_ come over now and then."

"Then it looks like I'll be cleaning my room more often," Wally replied with a little more seriousness in his tone.

Artemis met Wally's eyes, but quickly looked away: she hadn't given it thought before, but the boy looked pretty good in a turtleneck. Having drawn a little close for comfort again, especially given their surroundings, Artemis quickly held up the picture of the two of them she had taken. "Here, I forgot to put it back."

Looking at which photograph she held, Wally smiled and stated, "You keep it."

Surprised by the offer, and slightly embarrassed by the possible assumption, Artemis questioned, "Why?"

Pausing to think of a valid reason other than maybe he wanted the girl to have a picture of him, or maybe he liked how they looked together, he put forth: "Souvenir?"

"Sure." Artemis pocketed the photograph and changed the subject: "Did you get the popcorn?"

Finally remembering what he had come up to tell her in the first place, Wally replied, "Yeah, it's popping downstairs. The movie probably started already, but we can rewind it. I'll meet you in the living room." And with that, the speedster was off.

Artemis made her way back down to the living room, where she found a blanket folded on the couch. She picked it up and gently squeezed the warmth into her fingers, surprised by the boy's once again considerate gesture.

"Just in case you were cold," Wally explained as he returned from the kitchen. "The storm's getting pretty heavy out there, and I didn't know if our heating system was holding up against it or not."

Artemis smiled her thanks, then looked at the bowls of popcorn in his hands and laughed: one was a normal size; the other, about four times as big. "Seriously?"

"It's a three-movie marathon! Do really want me whining about my starvation?"

"Point taken. Well, let's get this going."

Wally placed the popcorn bowls on the edge of the coffee table and started the movie. Sitting down next to Artemis, he pulled the large blanket over the two of them, evoking a slight blush from the girl and a small smile from the boy when she didn't protest. The first movie went by pretty quickly as the two ate their popcorn and debated whether time travel was actually possible and different ways that it could theoretically work.

As the second movie started, Wally started to get a little hungry for lunch, but he suppressed the urge, refusing to abandon his spot. If he moved an inch closer or an inch farther, would something be thrown out of balance? He was definitely afraid so. But with every smile, every laugh, Wally was finding it harder to remember why he shouldn't edge closer.

At a certain point, their conversation began to slow down. Artemis slouched a little farther down in her seat, and her eyelids felt heavier. Wally was about to ask the girl how she was doing when he noticed the change in her posture. _"I wonder how long last night really was,"_ Wally thought worriedly she drifted off. "Artemis?" he softly questioned to check just how far she had gone.

"Hm?" the girl responded, already half asleep.

"Alright, why don't you take a catnap," Wally suggested.

"Mmhm." Without warning, Artemis nuzzled up against the boy, resting her head against his shoulder. With his arms outstretched and at a complete loss for what to do, Wally expected the girl to come to her senses at any moment and murder him. When her breathing slowed and her sleep seemed to deepen instead, the tense boy relaxed and exhaled what he had thought was his dying breath. Eventually, when his arm stiffened too painfully to hold up any longer, Wally even placed it comfortably around her. The most surprising part was how normal the scene felt.

Drawing the blanket higher around Artemis and him, Wally sighed and whispered out loud, hoping the girl was in too deep a sleep to hear, "What am I supposed to do about you? One moment, I'm afraid you'll claw my eyes out; the next, you do something like this." Looking out the window—unable to say it to her face even if on deaf ears, he remarked, "And you're even kind of cute when you sleep. But why are you so unpredictable? I want to be there for you, but what do you want?" Daring to rest his head upon hers, Wally continued, "Or maybe I'm just full of it. How could we possibly work? I'm not looking to get tied down, and you deserve someone who is. So I guess we just stay the same," he concluded. But why couldn't he at least enjoy the moment? Pulling Artemis slightly closer, Wally observed all of her little expressions, oblivious to his surroundings. _"Maybe I am a bit borderline stalker after all,"_ he thought, almost laughing at the realization.

Meanwhile, the girl in Wally's arms was lost to the thralls of sleep. Sometimes after long nights, there was no hope of avoiding a nap, and the couch and blanket were just so warm and comfortable...the exhausted heroine couldn't resist. But as peaceful as Artemis felt slipping into it, the dream that followed slowly morphed into a nightmare. Even though the failsafe training mission hadn't directly traumatized her, Artemis had logged several nights of restless sleep ever since. Unsure of what exactly happened while she was comatose (she feared bringing up the painful subject with any Team members), Artemis subconsciously imagined the worst: distorted figures, splashes of crimson red, mutilated bodies—and at the heart of it all, her father stood above the world on a stone pedestal, flames dancing at his feet. Half of his mask broken off, the man's exposed face displayed burns and scars; his lips, however, curled into a taunting grin as he laughed at his own daughter's pathetic death. Some nights, the nightmare continued on and felt torturously endless; other nights, she'd wake up suddenly in a cold sweat or once even crying. The worst part was how helplessly vulnerable she now felt in her sleep.

Back in the real world, Artemis expressed this anxiety through the occasional involuntary twitch or moan. Wally took these actions in to account and assumed she must be having a nightmare. The boy at first was going to let it pass, but when the spasms persisted, Wally gently nudged the girl awake: "Artemis? Artemis, wake up."

Artemis awoke with a start, releasing a small gasp. Her immediate reaction to finding herself constricted was to try struggling free. Wally, however, refused to let go, soothingly whispering, "It's alright, Artemis—it's me, Wally. It was just a bad dream—Artemis, you're alright."

After a few moments, the girl calmed down and remembered her surroundings: she was in Wally's living room, not an apocalyptic Earth. Artemis met Wally's eyes, finding something in their worried gaze that assured her she was safe. Turning towards the boy, however, Artemis also realized she had somehow ended up in his grasp while she was sleeping. Embarrassed by how childish she looked and how Wally practically babied her, Artemis stood straight up and found the door, quickly muttering, "I need to go."

"Artemis!" Wally interjected, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder before she could even turn the doorknob. "First of all, if you were trying to run away, you know I could catch you in a heartbeat." Not receiving the smile he had hoped to elicit with the joke, he continued, "And secondly, being scared by a nightmare is nothing to be ashamed of."

"I wasn't scared!" Artemis lashed out, all the more embarrassed. Crossing her arms, Artemis leaned against the door and glared out the window.

"I didn't mean it like that, I—" With a sigh to collect his thoughts, Wally continued, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I've been having them, too." Upon receiving a surprised reaction and a subsequent averted gaze, he explained, "That mission was hard on everybody. We're all still facing the inner demons, and I…I've definitely lost a few nights of sleep over it." Wally looked down at his feet, finally having admitted out loud how the trauma affected him.

Coming out of her rigid defensive stance, Artemis turned toward the boy and touched the hand still on her shoulder, causing him to meet her gaze. Realizing she needed to know, Artemis finally dared, "Wally…what happened in there?"

"No one told you?"

"I didn't want to ask." So Wally proceeded to tell her everything: how Megan lost it, the regrouping at the Hall of Justice, the failed rescue mission, his death. However, he withheld the part about his extreme reaction to her disintegration. "As bad as all that?"

"Worse. Remember everything you saw, and imagine you actually believed it was real."

Artemis turned away, ashamed of how insignificant her supposed distress had been in comparison with the others' scarring trauma. That was when she noticed the third _Back to the Future_ movie was still playing faintly in the background. An awful feeling in her stomach, Artemis apologized, "I'm sorry, Wally. It's your birthday, and all I've done is freak out on you and bring this up. Some friend I am…"

"Don't be sorry, Artemis. So what if this wasn't exactly how I imagined this little visit would turn out? I think I kind of needed something like this anyways, and only a real friend could've helped me out. Thank you."

Smiling, Artemis replied as she put on her coat, "Well, as fun as this has been, I actually do have to get back now. Could you take me downtown?"

"Aww, but Artie: what could _possibly _be going on that's more fun than our little _party_ right here?" Wally joked as he picked up her duffle bag once again and pulled out his goggles.

Trying to suppress a smile at his sudden switch in mind-set, Artemis ordered, "Just shut up and carry me, Baywatch."

Opening the door to the dreary white-out that had taken over Central City, Wally scolded, "Nah-ah-ah, not with that attitude."

"Fine. Shut up and carry me, _please_."

With an unstinting smile, Wally approved, "Atta girl."

Shortly upon arrival, Artemis stood in the kiosk and concluded, "Thanks, Wally—for everything. I had a nice time."

"Next time, you don't have to wait until my birthday to show up. Stop by anytime."

As the computer recognized the heroine and initiated the teleportation sequence for Star City, Artemis assured the boy, "I might just have to take you up on that offer." And in a flash of yellow, she was gone.

Luckily enough for a certain speedster, who had recently received a text with some lame excuse for meeting up at the Cave, the day was far from over.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice – November 11, 15:35 EST<strong>

"Recognized: Silhouette, B-0-8." Mickey entered the Cave, unsure whether she had arrived at the right time or not, just having crossed time zones. On the lucky break of a snow day, Silhouette was of course called in to action. The Dynamic Duo had Gotham covered, and apparently Green Arrow had given Artemis the day off after a long night, so the heroine Zeta-ed out to Star City for the California morning / New England afternoon.

Hearing music coming from one of the halls, Mickey called out, "Hello?"

"We're in the kitchen!" M'gann replied cheerfully.

Making her way through the Cave, Mickey at last found the kitchen and living room wonderfully decorated. Streamers and balloons hung around a giant birthday banner, the kitchen counter boasted a variety of food goods, and the glass coffee table displayed a few gifts and a chocolate fountain. "Hello!" Mickey greeted, realizing that the whole Team (minus Wally) had already arrived. Even the Flash was in a corner talking to Red Tornado and Kaldur. "I'm sorry that I've arrived later than I promised I would—Black Canary called me out on patrol."

"Oh, that's alright!" M'gann assured the girl, quickly levitating from the kitchen to the hallway entrance. The Martian began untying her apron and explained, "Happy Harbor High had a snow day, and Zatanna, Conner, and I weren't very busy, so we decided to set up early. I had time to make two cakes _and_ a couple batches of cookies! I hope everyone likes them."

"Of course they will," Conner guaranteed, taking the opportunity to slip in next to his (still technically secret) girlfriend and convey a small smile, receiving a doubly wide grin from the green girl.

"I'll check on that last batch of cookies; they should have cooled off by now," M'gann proposed, rushing back to the kitchen.

"Is she always this…enthusiastic?"

"Yeah," Conner replied with a slight grin, apparently viewing the quality in high esteem. "She really enjoys all the Earth traditions, especially when they involve cooking."

"Considering you get to eat her meals every night, I'd say that's a great thing." As the two laughed their agreement, Robin waved Mickey over: "Hey, bird boy."

"Hey. So did you follow my advice for the gift?"

Holding up the yellow bag stuff with red tissue paper, Mickey answered, "Yep—I quite basically got Wally the cheesiest science-related gifts I could find in two days. Are you sure he'll like them?"

"Well, you could always appeal to his _other_ interest."

"Then it looks like Bucky Balls, Miracle Berries, and an EcoSphere it is!" (*A/N: Lol these are all definitely going on my Christmas list…*) "And I'm going to guess the huge three-part present is yours?"

"When you have as much history as I do with Wally West, the expectation on birthday gifts is set a little higher. Oh, look out," Robin warned, drawing Mickey away from the space between the couches and counter as M'gann levitated the rest of the food over to the coffee table. Conversation continued until 4:00, at which point Robin stepped out and announced, "Alright, guys—Wally should be here any minute. He obviously knows about the surprise party, but hey, it's the thought that counts. Let's get in position; Megan, could you turn off the music and hit the lights?"

Shortly after everything and everyone found their place, the computer declared Wally's arrival and its own shutdown. Upon Wally's exaggerated reaction to their surprise, the group welcomed the speedster with a series of 'happy birthday's and smiles. Examining the guests, Wally lamented, "Well, it looks like Red Arrow won't be showing up fashionably late after all."

Without hitch, M'gann excitedly placed a party hat on the birthday boy's head and directed him toward the coffee table. "I made two cakes!"

"Awesome! What'll you guys eat?"

"We'll split a cupcake. Make a wish!"

"_Way_ ahead of you," Wally smoothly hinted, blowing out both sets of candles. As M'gann began cutting slices of cake, Wally pushed on: "You know, if I _tell_ you my wish, it won't come true, but if you guess…" In attempt to avoid an awkward situation, the girl offered the birthday boy a slice of cake. "Nope! Guess again."

When M'gann did lean over, Wally perked up in the hopes of finally fulfilling his birthday wish. To his dismay, however, it wasn't quite the kiss he expected. What surprised the boy even more was when he looked past the Martian girl and noticed the changing expressions on Artemis' face. She now wore a smug grin, probably finding his missed kiss amusing. But what was that first look—disapproval, disappointment? Whatever the emotion, it most certainly wasn't positive. The stark contrast to the lighthearted smiles he had witnessed earlier caused him to think twice about the wish he had been so set on. After the day they just had, it didn't feel quite right. "You know what, babe? I think I'll save the rest of my wish for a rainy day."

M'gann, in response, giggled and walked over to Superboy and Aqualad. Upon looking back at Artemis, Wally found the archer to have relaxed and turned away once again. Had his birthday ego finally set her on edge, or was it his blatant flirting with Megan? Unfortunately, that was a topic he'd have to revisit later: a call for a mission briefing was interrupting his party.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice – November 13, 10:36 EST<strong>

A few stitches and a recovery day later, Wally was back at the Cave, adding another souvenir to his collection. The container seemed like a nice touch, especially right next to a sippy cup. If the speedster didn't know any better, he was getting sentimental. After a mission like that, however, sentimental didn't seem like such a bad thing.

"Dude!" Robin called out. Of course he knew exactly where to find his best friend. "I just heard: you saved an entire country—major kudos!"

"What can I say? I'm the man!" Wally boasted, but continued in thought: _"The man who finally figured out the sweetest birthday present a lucky stiff like me could ever get was seeing that girl smile."_ It felt like he was looking at everything from two perspectives now: fifteen-year-old Wally and sixteen-year-old Wally. The mission somehow marked a turning point of sorts—funny how four short hours could make such a distinction. It was sixteen-year-old Wally who chose the container over the sword, and likewise sixteen-year-old Wally who was starting to realize how precious time, and what he made of it, was.

"Whatever you say, Baywatch, but 'man' might be stretch," came an unexpected voice. Turning, the boys found Artemis leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed coolly. "Hey, Robin."

"Hey, Artemis. I'll catch you guys later," Robin smirked with a wave before leaving for the kitchen.

"So the rumors are true after all?" Artemis questioned, watching Robin all the way down the hall.

"Yes, I _have_ been offered a modeling contract recently."

Smiling slightly at the lame joke, Artemis relaxed and entered the room. "Well, I'm glad everything turned out okay—the death of a royal and the oppression of a whole nation are a lot to keep on the conscience," she remarked nonchalantly, examining the red and white containment unit.

"To be honest, I was more worried about Perdita than Vlatava; _she_ needed me, and I had to make sure I delivered." Wally almost laughed at the irony of his words—to think his biggest preoccupation before the mission was how to fit in an extra large pizza en route. In the end, he discovered something far more satisfying: a simple smile—a reminder that good deeds need no reward, save witnessing the happiness one brings to the lives touched.

"Is that how you got that?" Artemis inquired, pointing to the outline of a bandaged shoulder beneath his sweater.

"What, this? It's nothing major, just had some technical difficulties with the glass door."

"You just got your cast off, and you're already ending up in hospitals. C'mon, Kid Klutz," Artemis stated incredulously.

"What's life without a little risk?"

"Fine—either way, I'm glad you're alright. How did the rest of your birthday go?"

"Well, besides passing out from extreme exhaustion and hunger…pretty alright. Hospital food can't compare with Megan's cooking, but it's still really tasty. Then I slept through most of yesterday… And I haven't actually opened my presents yet; Megan left them in here for me to pick up." His eyes widening, Wally asked, "Ooh! Artie, which one is yours? I'll open it now!"

"Oh," the girl replied nervously, remembering her unusual gift, "It's the one in the white paper bag."

Wally walked over to the gift pile in the corner and retrieved the archer's bag. "No card?" Upon receiving a shrug as response, the boy proceeded to pull out the tissue paper, finding the books first.

"I know they're kind of old, but I thought they looked like interesting reads. I didn't get the chance to look at those two books very closely, so let me know how they turn out."

"What's the saying—'oldie but a goodie'?" Lacking the reaction he'd hoped for, Wally continued with a laugh, "I like them. Thanks, Artemis."

"There's still one more thing."

"Oh, cool," Wally stated as he pulled out the remaining box. Revealing the gift inside, Wally questioned, "A pocket watch?"

Cheeks flushing pink, Artemis explained, "It was a weird idea, I know, but with you always late for everything…and Kent had that nice one that was pretty cool…I can take it back if it's too antique for you…"

"Artemis, relax," Wally assured the stressed out girl with a smile. "I think it's great."

"You do?"

"Yeah! The design's really neat, and look," the boy pointed out, clipping the chain to his belt loop and opening the watch as if to read the time, "it's a perfect fit." He then stored the object in his pocket, as though that was its natural place.

"Good," Artemis replied, surprised by the immediate liking the usually high-tech speedster had taken to her gift.

"Well, looks like it's about _time_ we joined the others," Wally declared, whipping out the pocket watch in exaggeration.

"Dear lord, what have I done?" Artemis teased, shaking her head jokingly.

"I'd say you started a new _era_ of time puns!" Suddenly, the boy realized, "Oh! Almost forgot."

As Wally pulled out a piece of cloth from his other pocket, Artemis recognized the object: "Is that the blindfold we wore at Camp Fillmore?"

"Yep. I know the mission was technically just training, but I thought this might make a nice souvenir. Crazy as it sounds, this little guy proves we can work pretty well together." Folding the dusty cloth into a tidy little square, Wally placed the blindfold between the sippy cup and the medical container.

Artemis was about to make her way to the living room when she paused at the threshold. Turning to face the boy still proudly looking at his variety of trophies and memories, Artemis couldn't help but think, _"Maybe it's not crazy at all."_

* * *

><p>Yay, long spitfire chapter! As I said before, sorry for the delay in update. Considering EVERY teacher is packing EVERYTHING in those last two days before Thanksgiving break, I'll probably shoot for Tuesday or Wednesday, realistically. Over the break, however, maybe I'll up the ante, put out an extra chappie, eh? That, or I'll get back in to playing Pokemon…we shall see…<p>

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! So please R&R!


	11. Getting to Know You

**A Silhouette in the Night**

First off, big thanks to **AzureVirgo** and **Phantress 192011** for reviewing! AzureVigo: just a warning, I do love spitfire, so there will be chapters every now and then that focus on those two; but I'm happy to say there's plenty of Silhouette coming up :) And I'd like to apologize for being a week overdue…I blame Emerson, Whitman, and this freakin' three-week cold T.T

AND GUYS. ADVENTURE TIME IS BACK. Sorry, just got in to the fandom a few months ago and am really psyched for this new season… Now if only Young Justice would come back! PLEASE?!

Previously: The Team celebrated Wally's birthday, and Wally may have matured, especially with regards toward a certain archer…but things are relatively back to normal. Well, as normal as things can be for a team of teenage superheroes. We begin at the end of the events of Image; Wally, however, does _not_ know about Conner and M'gann's relationship. Meanwhile, what happens when we look beyond the usual relationships, like Zatanna and Conner? And who doesn't like a bit of Red Arrow action? Let's see if Mikayla does…

**DISCLAIMER**: I own nothing, silly.

**WARNING**: This chapter contains sexual references and scenes that may be too mature for a younger audience. Read at your own discretion.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 11: Getting to Know You<span>**

**Mount Justice – November 21, 10:26 EST**

The bio-ship coasted through the bay doors in to the hangar after a long flight home. Well, not too long when you had the option of space travel. What made the trip feel especially lengthy was how quiet two of its passengers remained. Robin and Wally chatted excitedly about the successful mission and plans for the upcoming holiday break. M'gann and Conner, however, had barely spoken a word.

The Kryptonian left Qurac slightly unsettled. First off, Conner knew it was M'gann and not Psimon who had brain-blasted him and the others—her mental touch was too familiar, whether pleasant or hostile. But why such an extreme measure? What had she been afraid of? He wanted to ask the girl for an explanation, but decided against doing so when he awoke to her blaming Psimon for the attack. Considering the state their enemy fell into, Conner had a feeling there was a strong enough reason behind her actions; however, a coma still seemed a bit drastic. He'd confront M'gann about that when she was ready. What disappointed him the most was her refusal to show her true form. Conner wanted desperately to let his girlfriend know that he accepted every aspect of her, that she could trust the Team; but he had also promised himself to let M'gann take things at her own pace.

While conflicting thoughts left Conner more stoic than usual, the Martian remained silent for reasons of her own. Everything had been going so well: successful mission, Psimon defeated, welcomed by the Logans… And then Queen Bee arrived—emerged from the shadows like a devil, turned her black past against her. For what end would the manipulative woman use this leverage? And that question begged another: how far was M'gann willing to go to protect her secret? Shuddering at the sickening memory of rejection by all those she cared about, M'gann reasoned she would conceal her true identity at nearly all costs.

"We're here," M'gann announced a few moments after landing, snapping out of her reflection.

"Something wrong, Miss M?" Robin asked, noticing the Martian's uncharacteristic silence. "You were awfully quiet on the return trip."

"Of course not!" she replied, regaining her chipper tone. "I was just thinking about a new cheer routine I have to learn for tomorrow."

Deeming it an adequate response, Robin rose from his chair with a shrug and left the bio-ship, Wally following suit. Conner, however, turned to the girl and questioned mentally, _"Are you sure you're alright? You know you can tell me."_

"_Don't worry about it, Conner. I'm fine—just a little tired, that's all."_

Conner stood out of his seat and walked over to M'gann. Wishing she'd open up to him but satisfied with waiting, Conner placed his hand upon her cheek and assured her, _"Alright. You head to bed after the debriefing, and I'll get take-out for Zatanna and me."_

With a smile and a quick kiss, M'gann thanked her boyfriend and followed him down to the landing. The Team members reported in to Batman in the main lobby, received their reports, and said their goodbyes. As M'gann headed for her bedroom, Superboy knocked on Zatanna's door to find the sorceress on her bed listening to an iPod. As though emerging from deep thought, the girl finally took out her ear buds and turned to state, "Oh, hey, Conner—didn't realize you guys were back. Something up?"

"M'gann's resting, so I'm going in to town to pick up food." Conner was about to ask simply whether she wanted Chinese or Italian, but tuning in to the depressing music still coming from her earphones, he realized maybe the girl could use a friend after a weekend alone. Considering Robin had already left, and Artemis was off with Green Arrow somewhere, Conner figured he could be the next best thing. "Would you like to go with me?"

Surprised by the older teen's unexpected offer, Zatanna swung her legs off the bed and replied, "Um, okay. Let me get my purse, and then we can leave."

"Do you need to change?" the Kryptonian asked blatantly, eyeing the girl's sweats and tank top.

A little embarrassed, Zatanna responded, "Right, of course. Eraperp em rof retaews rehtaew!" Temporarily concealed by a twist of smoke, the sorceress reappeared wearing a white turtleneck, purple sweater, and blue knit cap. Gathering items in to a purse, Zatanna finished, "Let's go."

The girl followed Conner down to the hangar after going to his bedroom to grab a leather jacket. Sphere was disappointed her friend wanted to take the motorcycle instead of her, but Conner explained they couldn't ride through the streets of Happy Harbor on alien technology without drawing some serious attention. Sphere eventually acquiesced, and Conner hopped on to his normal cherry red motorcycle, offering Zatanna a helmet and a seat behind him. The younger girl accepted the offer wearily, unsure where to put her hands once seated. That was resolved, however, when Conner started the engine and ordered, "Hold on"; Zatanna quickly listened.

The two sped off through the forest surrounding the mountain, reaching the main road within a couple minutes. "So, Chinese or Italian?"

"Chinese."

"Peking Palace it is," Conner announced, making a left in to the suburban area. The November wind whipped hopelessly at Conner's frame, which blocked Zatanna from the worst of the wind chill. However, once they had parked in front of the restaurant, Zatanna more than happily made her way inside away from the cold.

Ringing a silver bell by the cash register, Conner called out, "Nǐn hǎo!"

A middle-aged Chinese man wearing an apron emerged from behind a curtain, which most likely led back to a kitchen, and stood behind the counter. Perking up with a smile, he replied excitedly in a heavy accent, "Oh, Conner! Nǐ hǎo ma?"

"Hái hǎo." (*A/N: I don't take Chinese, so I'm sorry if I've screwed up the romanization...it's just supposed to be simple conversation*)

Looking behind the boy to find an unfamiliar female face, the man asked worriedly, "No more Megan?"

Zatanna's cheeks flushed a shade of red, but Conner explained, "No, Yang xiān sheng: Megan is just resting today. This is my friend, Zatanna. She recently moved to Happy Harbor. Zatanna, this is Mr. Yang – owner of the best Chinese shop in all of Rhode Island."

Bashfully, Mr. Yang responded, "Conner, you are too kind, too kind! But he speak the truth: my food best in state. What will it be, Conner?"

"One order of brown rice, one kung pao chicken, one honey walnut shrimp, one orange chicken, and...one Mongolian beef. To go, please."

"Good, good. Wait here – your order ready in fifteen minutes."

"Xiéxie." Conner accepted a cup of ice water and took an empty seat at one of the tables while Zatanna followed suit. Roughly a dozen more people sat inside the small Chinese restaurant, either eating or waiting for lunch. Mr. Yang called back to the kitchen in Chinese and returned through the curtain.

Certain the owner was out of range, Zatanna questioned interestedly, "You know Chinese?"

"I'm familiar with some conversational phrases. M'gann and I come here after school sometimes; the owner knows us pretty well by now."

"Oh. That's nice." Zatanna sipped at her water awkwardly, unsure how she felt about being alone with the older boy at one of his usual date spots. Lowering her voice so that only the Kryptonian could hear her, Zatanna inquired, "So, how did...this weekend...go?"

"Well. Harjavti was being controlled by that psychic, Psimon, but the president was saved before the unification ceremony could take place."

"Right, I heard about that part in the news this morning. Nicely done – big scandal for Queen Bee?"

Conner nodded and returned to his silence, not sure if he should expand upon the subject, especially in public. Zatanna eventually turned to her phone, trying to escape the tension with technology.

The front door opened to the sound of a bell chime. A teenage girl with blue eyes and short black hair turned toward the pair and excitedly greeted, "Hi, Conner!"

"Wendy, hey," Conner replied with a slight smile, not expecting to see anyone he knew appear.

"Well, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" the girl proposed with a smile.

"Zatanna, this is Wendy – she's in the same class as Megan and I. Wendy, this is my friend Zatanna."

"Nice to meet you," Wendy declared with a friendly handshake. "Are you from out of town? I've never seen you around Happy Harbor before."

Returning the warm greeting with a smile of her own, Zatanna explained, "I actually just moved. I'll be transferring to the local high school as a freshman when second semester starts."

"Great! We could always use a new face. Where did you move from?"

"New York City."

"That's so cool! I've always wanted to try life in the Big Apple. Did your parents want our cozier small-town life?"

At the mention of 'parents', Zatanna's heart skipped a beat in a way only the Kryptonian could notice. "Yeah, something like that."

"Conner: food is ready!" Mr. Yang announced from behind the counter.

Exchanging a credit card for the white plastic takeout bag, Conner bid Mr. Yang goodbye, returned to the girls, and stated, "We should head back. I'll see you tomorrow, Wendy."

"Alright, have a nice lunch. See you later, Conner, and I hope to see you soon, too, Zatanna! Bye!"

Conner placed the food in a small container attached to the rear of the motorcycle, and the two teenagers sped off. However, rather than returning to the main road, Conner made a right toward the shore, driving up the coast until he reached the harbor. As he parked the vehicle by a set of picnic tables, Conner explained, "I thought it might be nice to have lunch outside."

Even though the air was a bit too cold for her taste, Zatanna decided against protest. The atmosphere was very soothing, and she could use the fresh air. Conner set out a couple paper plates and napkins from the bag, opening a few containers and handing Zatanna a set of chopsticks.

The awkward silence, however, still remained. Finally addressing the elephant in the room, Conner began, "Zatanna, when Wendy asked about your parents back at the restaurant..."

Pausing to swallow her bite, Zatanna assured him unconvincingly, "It's fine – I have to tell people something other than 'a morally whack Lord of Order possessed my dad's body' anyways, right?"

Not one for picking up on subtleties or sarcasm, Conner continued: "And your mother?"

Looking down sadly at her plate of orange chicken, Zatanna answered softly, "My mother died when I was young."

Conner at least caught that change in tone. With a little more tact but still out of place, he asked, "How did she...pass away?"

"Cancer," Zatanna stated quietly, not in the mood for details. By the time they had discovered the tumor, her mother was already beyond treatment. Giovanni had to explain to his young daughter that mommy wouldn't be with them much longer. Zatanna remembered waking up in the middle of the nights, going to her parents' bedroom to make sure her mother was still there. Once satisfied with the rhythmic rise and fall of her mother's chest, the little girl would go on the search for her absent father. She usually didn't have to seek long: Zatara quickly fell into the habit of poring over the library's ancient texts and spell books late through the nights, searching listlessly for some sort of cure.

But Zatanna soon learned, and would never forget, a sadly humbling truth, which she articulated halfheartedly: "Magic can't solve everything." Realizing that this conclusion applied to her father's current circumstances as well, a lump formed in her throat and dropped to her stomach. Feeling uneasy, Zatanna looked wearily up at the boy across from her and apologized, "I'm sorry, Conner, but could we not talk about my family?"

"It's just...I've never had a family, so I keep forgetting how sensitive of a subject it can be," Conner responded, realizing he was almost a little hesitant to drop the conversation. "I'm sorry."

"Conner," Zatanna began with a pained look in her eyes. That wasn't an issue she had in her power to resolve. Remembering Robin's words of comfort, however, she mustered her strength, took his hand, and continued, "I'm going to tell you something that someone once told me: look past technicalities – you do have a family. Megan, Black Canary, the Team – we're your family now. Does that make sense?"

The advice only made him feel slightly better, but Conner decided it wasn't worth it to prod on. Instead, he put on a smile and replied, "Sure. Thanks, Zatanna."

Zatanna smiled back and returned to her food. Not wanting to revisit that awkward silence, Conner began telling the girl about everything that happened before the actual mission: the animal sanctuary, the Logans, even "Hello, Megan!" Both teens finished their lunch in smiles, repacked the leftovers, and headed back to the Cave.

It was the first time Conner had really talked with the sorceress; considering her new living situation, he supposed it was good they were starting to become actual friends. But the topic of families left the Kryptonian unsettled once more. Conner sat on the living room couch as Zatanna returned to her room. Hoping to clear his head, he flipped the television to 'No Signal' and let the white noise wash over him.

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><p><strong>Royal Hotel, Star City – November 21, 20:36 PST<strong>

(*A/N: just so you know, this is the section to which the PG-13 warning applies*)

Mikayla stood next to a woman with chocolate brown hair and a cobalt blue evening gown. The woman held a drink between gloved fingers but never took a sip. To the guests present in the Royal Hotel ballroom, she was just another pretty face attending the party; to Mikayla, she was merely a façade for her mentor, Black Canary.

Similarly, the teenage heroine wore a disguise of her own. Her long brown hair was done up in a high ponytail to look shorter than usual and temporarily died black. A set of green contacts concealed the true color of her eyes. She sported a violet and black dress with a low back and black heels. Mikayla also donned black gloves, and added a pair of large silver bangles.

With a nod from the woman, Mikayla skirted around the dance floor to the open bar, ordering a drink heavy with alcohol. She turned to face the room, casually pressing the glass to her lips without taking in any of the liquid. Seemingly fidgeting with an earring, Mikayla turned on the hidden comm unit and remarked, "This gets me a little nostalgic about the first time we met."

At a volume only the girl could hear, Canary's voice responded: "But this time, you have back up. Now tell me, what do you see?"

Scanning the crowded room, Mikayla observed, "Maldera has arrived, dancing with one of the Fiorni sisters – the blonde one. You're definitely more attractive, even as a brunette; she doesn't stand a chance." After hearing her mentor chuckle a thanks, the girl continued, "I'm seeing three security guards and…one I don't know."

"What do you mean, 'don't know'?"

"His face wasn't on the personnel list for tonight. How should I approach?"

After a pause, Black Canary advised, "See if you can find out who he is. He might just be filling in for someone on their sick night, but we shouldn't take any chances. Remember: your main objective is obtaining an all-access room key. Every security guard should have one on their person; look for a wallet or try the breast pocket."

"How convenient; it's like they're just begging us to take advantage. Alright, I'm going in." Mikayla took her drink and made her way over to the unfamiliar security guard. He seemed to be in his early twenties, considering his height and build. Like the rest of the guards, he wore black-tie attire, dark sunglasses, and an earpiece. Mikayla relaxed against the wall the man had his back to while he stood stock still, clearly at close attention.

But Mikayla could change that. "Well, don't you look dapper," she observed in a British accent, keeping her eyes focused on the crowd. From her peripheral, Mikayla could tell the guard hadn't turned yet. "I was under the assumption hotel security wore funny little waistcoats and caps." Noticing the slightest turn of his head, Mikayla smiled and continued, "No? My, worse than the beefeaters, you are," returning to her drink.

With a short laugh, the security guard let himself take a full look at the woman beside him. She had a gorgeous face and the body to match. By the pungent smell of her drink, he guessed the alcohol had gone far enough to her head to make her the first person in the room to approach him. _"Damn. If I wasn't working tonight…"_ he thought, but instead explained, "Sorry, miss: as much as I'd love to talk with you about the thrilling details of security work, I have a job to do. Go enjoy your party."

"With these toffs? Not blooming likely. I came to this do thinking I'd have a smashing time, but it's blatant these posh guv'nors are just not my cup of tea." Mikayla always had the most fun pretending to be British.

Laughing heartily and suddenly, the security guard brought his hands behind his back and his emotions in check with a contained smile. Fully turning his torso to face the woman, he joked, "Would it be offensive if I admitted I didn't understand half of what you just said?"

Still looking out at the crowd with a dazed smile, Mikayla responded with a shrug, "No worries, mate – I'm easy." Noticing the guard's confused expression, she faked puzzlement as well, then surprise: "Blimey! Has a different meaning over here, does it? Don't take me for a slapper, you; only meant to say it doesn't bother me."

"Right…so you're from England?"

"Born and raised. Here on holiday. And yourself, mate?"

"I'm a local, but I've traveled around a lot."

"So you've been staffed in security for some time?"

"You could say that."

"Then how, I may inquire, did you end up back here?"

"Like I said: my job has me moving around a lot. Sometimes I get nostalgic and feel like visiting. A spot opened up for this party tonight, so I thought 'Why not?' and took the gig."

"Hard lines for whoever's ill. If it weren't for these posh little gits, this ball would be real ace."

Pausing to think something over, the guard questioned, "What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't," Mikayla answered mysteriously, arching her eyebrows and flashing a perfect smile.

"Because I don't remember your face from the guest list."

That might have been a snag in the plan. "Of course I'm on the list, mate – don't be scatty," Mikayla responded with composure, although in reality she was slightly nervous: from what she and Canary had researched on security, the guards didn't have individual photo ID on their guest lists. They just entered with a few other attractive women the invited guests didn't mind taking in, assuming they could rattle off one of the names on the list if anyone actually asked. Apparently this guy really did take his job seriously.

"No, I think I would've remembered you."

Throwing caution to the wind, Mikayla thought on her feet and decided on a new course of action. "Alright, you've done me, copper. I just wanted wear the gown and have a jolly good time, but I suppose it takes two," she finished with a sad yet beguiling smile.

The guard felt obliged to return the expression with a sympathetic smile. He just couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. "Fine," he decided, his turn to be a little rebellious, "I'll let you stay on one condition: dance with me."

Mikayla dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and inconspicuously wiped the lip print from her glass, placing it on the table nearby. Taking his outstretched hand, she smiled: "I thought you would never ask."

The pair received some strange looks as the security guard rested one hand on the girl's bare back and the other in her daintily raised palm. Finishing a waltz, Mikayla laughed, "I don't think this bunch is used to the staff mingling with the toffs: they're staring."

"Let them. And I don't remember party crashers ever having much say."

"Touché. But can you tango?" the girl questioned as a more dynamic Argentinean song came on.

"Please," he smirked.

As the music expanded with instruments, the guard pulled his partner chest-to-chest and led her in a series of complicated steps. Mikayla smiled, surprised by his expertise, and let her body flow with his movements. She kept the rhythm close to her heart and flirtatiously threw in a few moves of her own. Ending on a dip, the two happily breathed slightly heavier than normal, receiving some applause as they returned to their waltzing positions.

"Well, that was more fun than I've had in ages," Mikayla replied honestly, still trying to catch her breath. Mission or no mission, this guy was fun to flirt with. But following a warning throat clearing from her mentor, she regained her composure and thought of ways to use the moment to her advantage. "You're quite the dancer."

"And you're not so bad yourself. Do you have a name?"

"Silvia," she answered, trying to look into the eyes behind the sunglasses. "And you?"

"Well, you can call me Red."

Noticing his ginger hair, Mikayla laughed: "Cute." Twisting a short piece of it slowly around her finger and giving him an exaggerated once-over, she continued, "As is the rest of you." Evoking the pleasant surprise she was aiming for, Mikayla found his eyes and smiled deviously.

At this point, Dinah attempted to give her protégé an insight about her dance partner, but Maldera had finally asked the unnatural-brunette to dance. She softly laughed to herself as she imagined Mikayla figuring it out on her own.

"Blimey," Mikayla suddenly declared, her brows knit with worry. "I just recalled my room key was stolen earlier."

For the shortest instant, Red's eyes darted to his breast pocket – Mikayla had him. "Make sure you ask the concierge about replacing that."

"No worries, will do. But what if the thief is still lurking down the halls? A girl all by her lonesome seems right vulnerable, don't you think?" Snatching the pen hooked on his breast pocket and the wallet concealed inside, Mikayla opened it to find a couple cards and a few bills but no ID. Writing a room number on a five, she replaced the pen and held up the wallet. She leaned in, tenderly sliding her finger down the nape of his neck, and whispered, "Might need some protection later."

While Red melted at her touch, Mikayla slipped the wallet back in his pocket. Lightly kissing his jaw as she drew away from the man, the girl simply smiled and turned to leave. However, she picked up a glass placed in the center of a table on her way out.

The guard couldn't help but laugh as he acknowledged he'd regrettably have to miss that one. At least he had asked her to dance. However, his face fell as he opened the wallet. Maybe tonight was going to go a little differently than planned after all.

Once Mikayla had crossed the threshold into the lobby, she pulled the plastic prize out of her glove and informed the comm unit quietly in her normal voice, "I have the glass and the key. Keep Maldera distracted. Phase two is a go."

Mikayla picked up her clutch, which had been hanging out near the security room long enough to wirelessly integrate with the system, from the front desk and continued down the hallway to the east wing elevators. Pulling out a small compact, she checked the video feed of both lifts – empty. Clicking one of the make-up pads about fifty yards away, the right elevator switched to a footage loop of its doors opening and closing for no one.

Mikayla boarded the elevator and, once the doors had closed, clicked another button on the compact that stopped the ascension. Popping out a ceiling panel with telekinesis, she levitated down a black duffle bag that had been stashed on top of the elevator the day before. Mikayla could finally change to a more appropriate costume, take out the contacts, and let her hair down. Transferring the important items to her utility belt, the girl stashed her clutch in the bag and sealed the empty glass in plastic. Finally, Mikayla restarted the lift and put on the domino mask, transforming into Silhouette as she reached the 13th floor.

With the duffle slung over her back, Silhouette repeated the same technologic trick on the hallway cameras before exiting the elevator. The heroine quickly snuck to room 1327, which she unlocked with the guard's key; however, she propped the door slightly open enough that it wouldn't close. Looking around the dimly lit room, Silhouette found Maldera's laptop on the desk. While the computer started up, she went to the bathroom and laid out a towel to set up her fingerprint dusting kit. Silhouette had already lifted the fingerprint and cleaned up by the time the fingerprint recognition window had appeared.

Snapping her bangles into her mini-computer, Silhouette plugged the device in to the USB port. Using the fingerprint, she got to the main log-in window and subsequently bypassed the password protection with a program on her own computer. Another program began a speed search through email and files, finding information relevant to her search: the arms dealer, Angelo Maldera's, production network and next meetings.

The download was almost complete when Silhouette heard footsteps coming down the otherwise deserted hallway. Not willing to take any chances, she snatched the laptop and hid in the closet while her computer finished copying the data. A pile of blankets and towels concealed the girl fairly well, allowing her to peek through the slats of the closet door. To her dismay, it was who she had expected to come, but earlier than he was supposed to be: Red. The plan had been for him to come up to the open room long after she had left, find the key, be annoyed with the joke but ultimately unaware of what had happened, and lock the door behind him – in short, logging only one entry in to the room and providing a less suspicious reason why.

Seeing the propped door, Red let it remain open. For some reason, he had unprofessionally ditched his post. Looking closer, to her further surprise, Red had replaced his sunglasses with a domino mask like her own. What exactly was going on here?! He seemed to be searching the room for something, grunting angrily when he apparently couldn't find it. Suddenly, the man stopped pacing and turned toward the closet. Silhouette held her breath and huddled deeper into the shadows. By some stroke of luck, Red wasn't looking very closely and moved on to the bathroom.

Silhouette thought she was in the clear when the computer finished its download and dinged loud enough for Red to know there was something in the closet. Realizing she was caught, Silhouette stood up and decided she might as well improvise. "Well, that was awkward," the girl announced, brazenly opening the closet's double doors to face the security guard. "I always hate when I forget to put my phone on silent. So, you have a hero complex or what?" she continued nonchalantly, pointing at his mask with the laptop in tow.

Completely baffled by the girl's casual boldness and a strange sense of familiarity, he sarcastically remarked, "Says the one in full costume. Wait, who are you?"

"_I'm_ a professional."

With an incredulous glare and arms defensively crossed, the man scoffed, "Please. I'm certain I've been in this game longer than _you_."

"Is that so? Well, sorry to break it to _you_, but it looks like _I_ just won," Silhouette joked confidently as she unplugged her computer and powered down the laptop.

In a surprised and then increasingly frustrated tone, "Is that – ?"

"Maldera's laptop?" she finished, replacing the bangles on her wrists. "Why, yes it is; plenty of interesting files about the mob and all of their little friends on there. Go ahead and see for yourself if you still want to, but I suppose there's not much point: everything will be taken care of." By now, Red had practically reached his boiling point. As the mystery girl drew closer, however, he began to simmer down. Lightly touching his chest, Silhouette passed the man and concluded, "Well, as much fun as this has been, I must bid you goodnight," making her way to the balcony door.

"Hold it!" Red commanded, "Do you really think I'm just going to let you walk away with that kind of intel?"

"Yes," she responded matter-of-factly. "Are we not on the same side?" However, the heroine realized she actually had no idea what side this guy was on; she didn't even know if he was a devotee of some organization, a free agent, or simply a vigilante. A wild card like this could compromise her anonymity. How could she have been so careless?

"I'm on the side of justice, but I have enough experience to know one can't always trust a pretty face."

"You think I'm pretty? How charming," Silhouette teased, sauntering back to Red as she dropped her duffle. "But I happen to know there are a lot of men with a pretty twisted version of the word."

With the girl only a couple feet away, Red warned with a smirk, "If you don't mind," suddenly grasping the bangle on one of her arms.

Calmly looking up at the man, Silhouette restrained a laugh: "Oh, that's cute." Quicker than he, the heroine flicked her wrist so that she was grabbing his forearm.

Red prepared for a counter, but was stopped short by a distraction: with simply the wave of a hand, the girl had somehow slammed the hallway door closed. Questioning what on earth was going on, Red briefly glanced at the door. Turning back to face his opponent, however, he found her right boot already making contact with his chest. Hitting the ground fairly hard, Red rolled into a crouch to regain his footing. The girl, however, did not attempt an escape; she merely stood in front of him, hands on hips, as if waiting for him to challenge her. Throwing his suit over a chair and falling into a fighting stance, Red planned on doing exactly that.

With an enticing smirk, Silhouette went on the attack. Treating the battle like a dance, the heroine skirted around punches and kicks but had to be more mindful of the confining space. Her flippancy turned Red increasingly more frustrated, but Silhouette turned the emotion to her advantage. "You still are quite the dance partner," she said breathlessly after a few minutes of fighting in this manner.

"You?!" Red declared, momentarily distracted as he realized he did recognize where she was from.

"Yes, me." Taking advantage of Red's surprise to twist his arm around his back, Silhouette continued in her British accent, "Bit of a shock, mate?"

With a slight smile, Red suddenly rounded on the girl and explained, "No, I guess not. I figured as much when you took my key and gave me this room number." Pulling her close by the waist, to the girl's surprise, Red began to _actually _dance with her. _"I'm not getting anywhere by fighting this stubborn chick,"_ he reasoned, _"But if I can get her guard down, convince her to take the bracelets off...just maybe."_

"Well, this is tactic I don't usually see."

"Then again, I'm probably not the kind of guy you usually see."

"Are you trying to seduce me, Red?" She could obviously see where the guy was going with this, but Silhouette decided to roll with it. The situation could work to her advantage, as long as she didn't get too carried away.

"Would you say it's working?"

"I wouldn't say no," Silhouette whispered, draping her arms around his neck.

"That's all I need," the man remarked as he fell on to the bed, trapping the girl beneath his body. Letting one hand roam along her thinly covered outer thigh, Red caressed her neck with the other, beginning with kisses on her collarbone that slowly lead up to her face.

Meanwhile, Silhouette laughed, "I like you, Red: you're very alluring; very confident." Within seconds, the girl managed to escape Red's grasp, pin him to the bed stomach-down, and twist both arms behind him, eliciting an angry curse from her captive. Maintaining her position by straddling the man's back, Silhouette continued, "A little too confident, if you asked me. You really thought that would work, didn't you?"

Grunting underneath her surprisingly powerful grasp, Red spat, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"That you lost to a girl? Please. You men are always the same. Now tell me honestly, and I'll let you go in one piece: who are you working for?"

"I work alone!"

Pausing, she continued, "Alright. Are you a good guy?"

"What the hell is this, twenty questions?"

"Answer! In the most basic sense of the word, are you good or bad?"

"Good! I'm good! Goddamn ridiculous…"

"Good answer," Silhouette stated following another pause. "Final question: will you tell anyone of this after tonight?"

"No."

Frowning, the heroine asserted, "I know you were lying on that last one, but if you so much as mention me or my involvement in the Maldera case to anyone, I will find you. Do you doubt that I will find you?"

"no…" he responded grudgingly.

"What was that?"

"NO!"

"Good. Then we're done here." Leaning in to Red's ear, Silhouette whispered, "Thanks for the dance, hotshot." She proceeded to squeeze a pressure point on his neck; Red stopped struggling as he passed out. Silhouette quickly used telekinesis to straighten up the mess she and Red had left behind. Slinging her duffle over her shoulder, she finally slid the balcony door open to the brisk November air. "Intel is secure; leaving the hotel. Left a mess in the room – should be clean in about ten minutes. Meet you at the rendezvous in thirty," Silhouette reported to her comm link. Shooting a grappling hook up to the rooftops, the heroine disappeared into the night.

Red woke up a few minutes after she left, massaging a dull pain in his neck. Remembering everything that had just occurred, the man shot up to his feet, searching the room for his assailant. Instead, all he discovered was a tidy hotel room and a cold breeze. After locking the balcony door, Red did notice one thing out of place: on the bed lay his room key and a note. In florid cursive, it read: "Looks like I'll have to take a rain check, hotshot. –Sil"

"Weirdest night ever," he sighed, making his way back down to the party. If anything was for certain, he couldn't wait to for another encounter with this girl; however, whether it would be to settle the score or just see her again, he had yet to figure out.

* * *

><p>HAHAHA I can only imagine the look on the confident Red's face when he got his butt served to him by a girl! Probably worse than with Cheshire in Taipei. (Hopefully by now you've guessed that <em>Red<em> was _Red_ Arrow, but I suppose if you hadn't…spoiler alert.) Oh, Silhouette, our little femme fatale…

And I thought it was nice to look at the relationship between Zatanna and Conner; they live together under the strangest circumstances, yet it's never touched upon. Just a thought. If you're looking for the Chinese translations down here, you won't find them – I'm lazy. They're really just conversational. Basically: hello, how are you, okay, sir, thank you.

Unfortunately, like I said, there are a lot of different things that prevented me from updating sooner. Even less fortunately, they're not going away anytime soon. As a matter of fact, this month is much worse. Stupid school and soccer and SAT ruining my holiday season…. Anyways, I'll try to play catch up, but we'll see how fast I can get the dates in sync. At the moment, the story calendar is about a week behind, but I'll see if I can find a way to push it up. (I want to make sure the Christmas and New Year's chapters are on time.)

As always: until next chapter, please read & review! (Even if it's something quick, always appreciated!)


	12. Boys Will Be Boys

**A Silhouette in the Night**

First off, big thanks to **AzureVirgo**! Your comments are always appreciated, especially after these past couple weeks of insanity. Sorry for the late update, but hey, it's just like the real deal – prolonged hiatuses and all! (I kid, sorry)

This chapter is probably the last one to stem from the events of the actual show (Agendas). The only difference in this storyline is that the League meeting to discuss expansion did not happen.

Previously: Silhouette and Red Arrow unknowingly crossed paths on an undercover operation deemed the "Maldera Case". After a combination of flirting and fighting, our heroine came out on top, much to Red's chagrin. But will the two be able to work together to finish the job?

As Zatanna and Conner formed a friendship, we found that Zatanna isn't the only one who's anxious about family issues. And then the whole Lex Luthor issue REALLY complicates things... At this rate, how is Conner ever supposed to learn about a real family?

* * *

><p><strong><span>Boys Will Be Boys<span>**

**Star City – November 27, 21:04 PST**

Laden with salt, the invigorating breeze tugged at Silhouette's long brown hair as she leaned over the roof's ledge. A pleasant shiver ran up her spine: December, her favorite month, was almost there. Even though the cold didn't have much effect on her, Silhouette partially zipped up her black sports-fit jacket. A muted thud drew the girl's attention behind her: Black Canary had arrived. "Looks like it should be a clear night," she mentioned to her mentor.

"That's too bad; fog would've provided nice cover," the blonde woman replied as she looked up at the starry night sky. "I hope you didn't have any plans for the long weekend."

"In all honesty, I've been looking forward to this all week," the girl assured her mentor. "Vacation means no worrying about sleep-depriving time zone differences. So what better way to spend a Saturday night than a full-scale arms bust?"

Laughing warmly, Canary remarked, "Your enthusiasm never ceases to amaze me, Mikayla." Receiving a frown from her protégé, the heroine corrected, "I know, I know; Silhouette, sorry."

"Fine," said Silhouette, accepting the apology, "but you know I can't risk my true identity anytime or anywhere around you or the others. Please be more careful?"

Not used to concealing her identity so strictly, Canary smiled back, "Sure. You and I are just getting too friendly. I'll tell you what: coffee's on me tonight. Sound fair?"

Come to think of it, she and Dinah _had_ gotten fairly close lately. Late night coffee runs after missions became a regular custom as their relationship flourished on and off the job. Mikayla even began confiding in Canary for advice on her personal life. Dinah was like the older sister she never had; likewise, the woman began to look on her young protégé as something more than just simply a partner or a friend. "Alright," Silhouette smiled, finally coming around.

At this point, two distinct twangs rang out nearby. Two figures clad in green zipped down tethers of taut cord, landing deftly on the roof. Pulling back his arrow and line, the taller of the two stepped out of the shadows and announced: "Now it's a party!"

"About time you showed up, Ollie," Dinah playfully chided her boyfriend.

Resting his arms around her waist, the man joked, "And miss our date? No way," greeting her with a kiss.

Green Arrow's sidekick crossed over to the moonlight, joining the other young heroine. Happy for the couple but embarrassed all the same, Silhouette finally turned toward her fellow Teammate and greeted, "Hey, Artemis. Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?"

Artemis thought back to Thursday night: no dad, no Jade – just dinner with her mother. "Yeah, I guess it was alright. How about yours, Mickey?"

"Hey!" Canary asserted, breaking away from Green Arrow. "On this mission, we are strictly going by alter egos, got that? There will be plenty of bad guys milling around, and we're going by comms – we can't take any chances."

"Sorry," Artemis apologized, taken off guard by the reprimand. "Silhouette," she acknowledged.

"Good. We're just waiting for one more."

"And who would that be?" Artemis questioned.

"Red Arrow."

Artemis frowned her dismay, but Silhouette simply stood confused: "Hold on, who's Red Arrow?"

"He's my ex-sidekick," Green Arrow explained. "Tonight's a big job – it couldn't hurt to have another man on board who knows the area."

Silhouette nodded her understanding, realizing she hadn't actually seen Speedy in the news for quite some time. Considering his title of "ex", Silhouette took note to later ask her mentor for the story.

Hearing a third twang, the group turned to see the final participant glide toward them. "That's him now," Green Arrow stated. Informed of what happened the previous weekend, he additionally muttered to Canary, "Oh, this is going to be good." Ollie and Roy had finally reached good terms again; they even spent Thanksgiving together with Dinah a few days prior. That also returned the man's license to his customary jokes.

Silhouette caught the line, but had no idea what it was supposed to mean. At least, that was until Red Arrow made his landing. Immediately recognizing the red hair, muscular build, and domino mask, Silhouette laughed smugly in disbelief: "Oh, this is too rich."

As Red Arrow wound his line, he first looked to Green Arrow, not surprised to see the usual, mischievous grin. He was about to shoot Artemis a glare when he saw who was haughtily standing beside her. His face falling, Red Arrow quickly looked from his old mentor to the mystery girl that had beaten him so badly merely a week before, unable to grasp the situation. When GA burst out laughing, the boy finally broke out: "What is this? What's _she_ doing here?!"

"Red: let me introduce you to Black Canary's sidekick, Silhouette. Silhouette: Red Arrow," Green Arrow stated. Unable to calm his laughter, he continued, "I believe you two have already met."

"You knew?!" the boy accused angrily, still switching between the girl and the couple.

"Actually, I just found out right now," Silhouette offered, raising her hand nonchalantly. Her smile only growing wider, she remarked, "I really did not see this coming. Huh."

Fed up with both of their reactions, Red Arrow started backing away from the group. "I'm not putting up with this – I am so gone."

Taking on a more serious tone, the Green Arrow shouted, "Red!" stopping the boy in his tracks. "We have a job to do. Are you going to turn your back on that?"

All joking aside, the man was right: protecting Star City came above any petty squabbles. "Fine. I'm in."

"Good," Green Arrow replied straight-faced. However, it soon melted into a smile as he joked, "Now, why don't you two kiss and make up?" Receiving glares from both young heroes and a hard elbow jab to the arm from his girlfriend, he apologized, "Sorry, I'm sorry. That was the last one."

"What the heck is going on?" Artemis asked, completely unaware of what was going on.

"I'll explain later," Silhouette sighed in response.

"Moving on," Canary declared, officially ending all repartee. "Based on data found on the personal computer of Angelo Maldera, a notorious Star City arms dealer, a major meeting between him and his new partner should take place at 22:00 on the dock three blocks west of here. Our objective is detainment. We have the evidence to put these guys behind bars for a long time, and that's exactly what we'll do. GA, Artemis – you two will cover the meeting."

"Got it, chief," Green Arrow saluted. He proceeded to aim another zip-line arrow at the building to the west of their position, Artemis following suit. "We'll catch all of you later." And with that, the pair was gone.

"In that case, what am I doing here?" Red Arrow inquired impatiently.

"You know the case; you know the area; and we can always use another hero on the job, in this instance especially. Maldera and his asociates will be taken care of, but what still remains are the warehouses – three to be exact," Black Canary explained. She next handed each teenager what looked like a flashdrive. Upon clicking the center button, Silhouette and Red Arrow both caused holographic maps to expand from the devices. "Two of them are located along the bay – the first, twenty miles north; the second, fifteen miles south; the other warehouse is about ten miles inland.

"After rumors of a man planted inside the force, we decided the case under wraps from the police thus far. Consequently, that means we must move simultaneously and won't have reinforcements until around half an hour after the alert is sent out. Two of the warehouses will be relatively empty: just a few guards watching over the caches. The third, however, should be busy: a squad of men and trucks shipping out the merchandise to a new location. Our job is to secure the warehouses and stop the delivery."

"So who gets the hive?" Red Arrow asked, finally interested.

"We don't know. Maldera's messages spoke of the warehouse locations but didn't specify which one would undergo the transfer. The detail was either encoded or sent later. From here, we split up: Red – south; Silhouette – east. Whoever gets the main target radios in for backup and waits for the other two to secure their warehouses and join him or her for the attack. All five of us will proceed at the same signal and likewise notify the authorities. The dogs won't even know what hit them."

Returning her satisfied smile with a grin of his own, Red approved, "All right. Transportation?"

"Don't worry. The toy's are in the basement. Being on a financially supported team does have its benefits."

"Save it, Canary," the boy quickly responded, more wearily than angrily.

"I'm just saying," she replied with a shrug, leading the teenagers to the building's sub-level. Besides a seemingly out-of-place dumpster, the floor was empty. Undoing a couple latches on the metal container's side, Canary revealed a set of three jet black motorcycles and helmets. Once the heroes had rolled their vehicles out to the bottom of the incline, the woman let the younger two know their flashdrives also functioned as keys. Black Canary opened the garage door and wished her partners good luck, vanishing into the night.

Red Arrow and Silhouette stood around in silent tension as they waited for an indication of how to proceed. Both teens had been suddenly thrown together on a mission with a stranger they quite recently deemed an enemy – an awkward situation, to say the least. Red wanted to keep a level head, but how could he when his view of this girl kept bouncing between opposite ends? The dominant part of him was furious at Silhouette for her surprising abilities and arrogance, biting at the chomps for a chance to show the girl up and prove her win merely dumb luck. A smaller part nagged at the fringes of all the opinions, for he reluctantly admitted to admiring that skill, not to mention that gorgeous face...

Fed up with the boy's unsettling scrutiny, Silhouette finally asserted, "Would you stop?"

"What?"

"Staring."

"Oh, that. No," he stated blatantly.

Silhouette glared at the boy and sharply faced forward, rethinking her words. Deciding upon a new set, she turned back and questioned with controlled displeasure, "And why exactly not?"

"I'm still trying to get a read on you."

"I'm Black Canary's protégé, and I can neutralize you in less than sixty seconds if you don't cut it out – that's all you need to know."

Annoyed by the nonchalance of her warning, Red Arrow scoffed: "Please. I was just off my game, and you got lucky."

With a burst of laughter, Silhouette countered, "Excuse me? I believe you thought _you_ would get lucky by playing your little _game_. Your inattention and arrogance prevent you from even reaching my level."

"_My_ arrogance?" he responded incredulously. "You're the one who blatantly gave up her position to a potential adversary."

"Unlike you, I don't take so long to assess people."

"Oh, really? And what do you think you discovered by your examination?"

"Arrogance, a hot temper, stubbornness" Silhouette enumerated sharply; without realizing it, however, her tone gradually softened to neutrality as she finished, "passion, courage; but not malice. My instincts insisted you weren't evil – probably why I almost left you without an interrogation."

Remembering the embarrassing attack, Red merely scowled and muttered, "You're crazy."

"No. I'm just extremely resourceful." By this point, both teenagers were on their feet, glaring at one another through their domino masks. In the small space between the motorcycles, the two were practically touching. Red Arrow had a few inches on Silhouette, but that didn't stop the heroine from holding herself just as tall.

"Black Canary to Silhouette," the older heroine cut in with perfect timing.

Turning away from the boy in front of her, Silhouette touched her comm and answered, "I'm here."

"It's time for you and Red Arrow to move out."

Silhouette looked up to see Red Arrow nod in confirmation. All spite aside, at least he was professional. The two heroes donned their helmets and hopped on to their motorcycles. Revving up the engine, each teen sped off in the designated direction. "We're en route."

About fifteen minutes later, Silhouette arrived at the warehouse. Parking her motorcycle in a nearby alley, she darted through the shadows of the large building, scouting out her target. Silhouette pulled out her flashdrive and enabled the hologram feature, zooming in to the blueprints of the building and the locations of the security cameras. Finding one near her desired entrance, she telekinetically placed an EMP device to overwrite the video feed before moving out.

Silhouette quickly discovered her warehouse was not the distribution point. From the vantage point of a high window, the heroine observed plenty of armory and ammunition crates but no activity. Silently dropping inside, she followed her map toward the security room. Blue light emanated from the open door where two male security guards monitored the screens, casually chatting about a soccer game playing on a separate television.

Suddenly, everything in the room went dark. The guards reached for the flashlights on their belts only to find them and their weapons missing. Both men hit the floor unconscious before they even had the chance to call for backup. Switching everything back on, Silhouette bound and gagged the men, levitating them in to storage closet to await arrest.

Once she had returned to her motorcycle, Silhouette tapped her comm link and informed the group, "East warehouse is secure – there was no moving cargo. Black Canary, Red Arrow – status update?"

"North warehouse is secure, and I'm already on my way south," Black Canary responded. "Red?"

"South warehouse is active. I'm currently on the north side, seeing three trucks and around fifteen men."

"All right, hold your position. We will meet you there for the attack. Silhouette should get to you first."

"Don't worry," the young heroine began as she started up her motorcycle, intending to head southwest, "I've got him covered."

Silhouette didn't mean any offense. After the earlier heated argument, however, her comment rubbed Red Arrow in the completely wrong way. Taking her words as the last straw, the boy exclaimed, "Like hell you do! Engaging target!" before letting loose an arrow that ripped through all three sets of front tires.

As the background noise of confused shouts picked up, Black Canary ordered, "No, Red! Stand down! Don't compromise the mission! Red? RED?!" The noise cut out, and her reprimand received no response. "Damn it. He ditched his comm."

"Canary, we have a bigger problem," Green Arrow interrupted. He and Artemis stood on the rooftop of a building, using exploding and foam arrows to cut off escape routes for the meeting villains whilst dodging enemy fire. "We've lost our element of surprise – they know."

"Perfect… I'll meet you at the docks in less than fifteen minutes and signal the police. Silhouette?"

"I should be at the south warehouse in ten to fifteen."

"Good. Make sure to knock some sense into that kid afterwards."

"Gladly," the girl replied, accelerating her motorcycle. Skillfully ducking through traffic and maneuvering red lights at top speed, Silhouette reached her destination in a little over ten minutes. It was obvious to see that something was going down as smoke lifted from the front courtyard and three trucks lied in ruin. Seeing no people, however, she deduced the fight must have moved inside.

Silhouette ditched her vehicle between the building and a dumpster, using a grappling hook to reach a window near the roof. Pressing open the glass, the heroine took in the surroundings of the area below. Two trucks and several crates waited by the west side of the warehouse, facing an open loading bay. Eight men protected the area as several others attempted to finish loading the cargo. Six more guards stood scattered in the middle of the warehouse, firing at a moving target in the rafters to the southwest. When an arrow flew down from above and tasered one of the men unconscious, Silhouette realized she knew where to find her rogue partner.

With the guards focused the other way, Silhouette ripped a few ventilation pipes from the wall and directed them toward the warehouse interior, creating a cover of white steam. While the guards argued in confusion, Silhouette nimbly flitted across the rafters to Red Arrow, quietly directing, "Come with me," as she pulled him to a new location. Once hidden lower down behind a high stack of crates on the north side, Silhouette questioned in a more fierce whisper: "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I _think_ I was doing just fine on my own."

"Right, because being outnumbered and shot at from a position completely opposite your target is the ideal situation for success."

"Like you would have done any better."

"Yes, I could have – by waiting for backup!"

"Didn't need it then, don't need it now."

Growling softly, Silhouette resisted every urge to yell at the boy in a tone any louder than a whisper. Collecting herself, she merely declared, "You are insufferable! You're just lucky the mission isn't shot; because of you, however, GA and Artemis lost their advantage in detaining Maldera and company, and we lost Canary's aid."

"If you're worried you can't do this mission without someone holding your hand, then step aside."

Sighing with frustration, Silhouette assured the boy firmly, "No, of course not; although now it has to be a messy cleanup." As the steam dissipated, the girl heard commands to search the building. "Listen: I don't think they know I'm here, so we still have that advantage. Luckily, you had enough sense not to use exploding arrows in an arms warehouse." As she received a glare but no comment, Silhouette added to herself, _"And that means no energy bolts."_

"More than you – exploding the pipes?"

"I have telekinesis, genius. No combustion necessary."

"You have got to be kidding me," grumbled the boy.

"What?" Silhouette teased, obviously pleased. "Are you jealous?"

"I don't do envy. Hold on," he warned, pulling the girl from the edge of the crate as a guard passed nearby. Both heroes sat in silence against their cover as a flashlight left a shadow on the wall in front of them. In the short span of time, the boy couldn't help but notice how close the girl had drawn. In the pale moonlight from the window above, he could make out the skin of her collarbone, triggering the memory of him kissing the soft flesh up to her jaw. His conflicting emotions unable to reconcile, Red Arrow simply sighed and shook his head, cursing the moment he got involved with this unpredictable girl.

Seeing the boy's reaction, Silhouette commented jokingly with a smile, "Don't tell me you're thinking about kissing me again."

At first surprised, Red suddenly felt a tiny grin playing at the corners of his mouth. It was the first time all night the girl had been even slightly friendly – a stark contrast to her all-business focus and confidence toward the mission. The change made her seem almost uncertain. Maybe real intimacy didn't make her too comfortable. "And what if I was?"

With a slight, involuntary blush, yet a reproachful glare all the same, Silhouette responded coldly, "Then I would tell you to forget about."

Bingo. Drawing slightly closer, he continued, "And if I said you owe me a kiss?"

Pushing his face gently away with a laugh, the girl answered, "In your dreams, hotshot. I know your type."

Taking the hand on his cheek, he suavely questioned, "Do you?"

The way this boy affected her emotions made her nervous. Her usually perfect control apparently had a few soft spots. It was easy enough to manipulate him when only a week ago, Red was simply a beautiful stranger; however, Red Arrow was now a part of her reality. An annoying part she would learn to deal with. Pulling away her hand with a once again straight face, Silhouette concluded, "Give it a rest, Red. We still have a shipment to stop."

Finally satisfied with the fact that the girl wasn't invulnerable, Red Arrow responded smugly, "The two of us versus two trucks and twenty men? I'm not worried."

Completely detached, the girl remarked, "Like I said: arrogance and inattention. The trucks aren't the only targets to neutralize; we can't leave any stragglers."

"You want serious? Fine, let's get serious." Donning his usual, somber expression, Red Arrow realized how often that night he had let it slide. This girl was affecting him more than he cared to admit. "Can you get a read on the situation?"

Cautiously peeking her head around the crate, Silhouette was surprised to see the trucks were practically loaded, engines already started. The banter had gone on far too long. "We need to move quickly," she explained, turning back to face her partner.

"I'll create a distraction. You neutralize the trucks first, and then attack telekinetically until they realize what's happening."

Nodding her agreement, Silhouette pulled a small, white object from her utility belt. Turning it over in his hand, Red Arrow finally placed the comm in his ear as the girl advised, "Try not to lose this one."

Red Arrow nodded back before initiating the plan, rushing across high stacks of crates to the other side of the warehouse. To attract attention, the hero let loose a couple more taser arrows, taking out two guards. The men were shooting sporadically at Red Arrow's general position within minutes.

While the majority faced the other direction, Silhouette took the chance to discreetly emerge from her crate. Focusing on the trucks, the heroine systematically popped the tires using psychic forces. Only the drivers really noticed something was wrong. Once they had exited their vehicles, Silhouette levitated a box that rammed each of them against the truck wall into unconsciousness. Upon hearing the command of "Round them up!" from Red Arrow through the comm link, the heroine cut eight men into a separate group by moving around crates, forcing them into a tighter circle. Suddenly, an arrow struck the center, enveloping the group in a mound of expanding foam.

Many of the remaining ten guards stood with mouths agape, unable to believe the strange attack; the rest searched furiously for a shooting target. Red Arrow took advantage of the surprise by taking out a couple adversaries with punch arrows on his descent to the main floor. He continued with his barrage of arrows, running around the fringes to avoid being picked off by the gunmen.

Deciding it was time to join the fight, Silhouette psychically jammed a few guns as she bounded from her hiding spot. Seeing that some men were still holding on to their useless weapons to defend themselves, the heroine picked up a crowbar on her way over to use as a bō staff. Metal clashed on metal, but Silhouette's precision with the makeshift weapon, combined with her combative speed and skill, easily allowed her to battle more than one enemy at a time.

Within minutes, all the guards were either unconscious or groaning on the floor in pain. Finding ample rope outside near the docks, Silhouette enlisted Red Arrow's help in tying up the enemy. Once everything had been secured, the girl tapped her comm link to inform the others of her and her partner's success.

"Our situation has also been neutralized," Canary responded. "Wait there until the police arrive. Silhouette, you and I will rendezvous at our usual spot at 22:45. Red, you and I first need to have a little talk about your actions tonight."

"I don't regret them, but I do apologize. The mission should always come first."

"You can tell me all about it at 22:15, the old rendezvous. Other than that mishap, good work tonight."

Once Black Canary's transmission cut out, Silhouette allowed herself a satisfied sigh. "That went well." To her surprise, however, she pointed out as Red Arrow drew near: "You're bleeding."

"Oh, right," he acknowledged without flinching. "One of the bullets must have grazed the arm."

Anxious to fix the wound, Silhouette ripped part of a shirt off one of the guards and pulled a vial of disinfectant from her utility belt. Quickly drawing near the boy, she doused the cloth in liquid.

"What are you doing? No, stop!" Red Arrow squirmed under the threat of any more aid.

"Don't be a baby," she chided. "It will only sting a little bit. The wound needs to be kept clean and protected until you stitch it up." Red immediately straightened up at the insult, grunting only slightly as Silhouette tenderly swept away excess blood from the flesh. Tearing a few new pieces of cloth, she fastened a makeshift bandage over the wound fairly easily. "See? That wasn't so bad."

"Kiss and make it better?" he asked playfully, testing the effectiveness of her weakness outside of battle.

"As if," she laughed dismissively. "Why don't you find a nice blonde or redhead to show off your battle scars to?"

That wasn't exactly the flustered response he was hoping for. What was it about this girl that made her so confident – so immune to his charm? He had worked relentlessly to earn his body and prized his ability to use it to his advantage in any situation, physical or mental. He even had a villainess after him, for God's sake. Silhouette resisted it well, apparently a master at the game already; but although her deflections were correct, Silhouette's assumption in itself frustrated the boy. "Why do you have it in your head that I'm a player?"

What Red didn't know, however, was that his charm _was_ working, to an extent. She couldn't deny a physical attraction to the boy, but that was suppressible. For the most part, hot guys were usually taken or jerks, and she had a hunch as to which category Red fell in. "Woman's instinct – I know."

Red at least felt the mission had established a mutual respect on the professional level; he even harbored a certain respect for the girl's confidence and competence (although he would never admit it). Silhouette, however, would not hold him as a _person_ in high esteem. Getting through to this girl suddenly seemed a personal challenge; if she wouldn't back down by force, he would just have to find another way to earn the respect he deserved and then beat her at her own game.

The drone of police sirens echoed faintly against the walls as several cars neared the warehouse block. "I have to go," Silhouette suddenly announced, making her way for the loading bay portal.

"What? Why?" questioned Red, who didn't want to speak with the police, let alone by himself.

"Have you seen anything in the news lately about a new sidekick for Black Canary?" Receiving a negative, she continued, "Exactly. As far as the world is concerned, I don't exist – I would like to keep it that way."

"I can respect anonymity, but I'm not staying for clean up duty. Canary or GA can inform the authorities over the radio or phone. Do you still have a motorcycle?"

"Do you not?"

"A few shots tore through the fuel line."

"Of course they did," Silhouette muttered, shaking her head. "All right, follow me; I left mine on the south side." As the police cars pulled in to the front lot, Silhouette and Red Arrow slipped out through the loading bay and retrieved the motorcycle. After rolling the vehicle offsite under the cover of shadows, the girl got on and patted the seat behind her: "Don't be embarrassed – hop on."

Without complaint, Red Arrow reluctantly mounted the motorcycle. He smirked, however, as he grabbed the girl by the waist for support.

"Get any ideas back there, and I swear I will push you off the moving vehicle," Silhouette warned as she started the engine.

"Don't worry about me, gorgeous – eyes on road." The trip continued in relative silence and stopped at a seemingly random street corner ten minutes later. "I know I wasn't exactly cordial tonight, but could you choose a better place to drop me off?"

Instead of shooting the boy down, Silhouette explained, "You're not getting off; I am." She swung her legs off the seat and handed him her helmet. "I'm only a few blocks from my rendezvous point, so I can change and walk from here. Good luck on your meeting with Black Canary."

As the girl walked away, Red called out, "Hold on! That's it?"

Shrugging, she replied, "What were you expecting – a kiss goodbye?" Seeing by his confident expression that she was correct, the girl merely laughed.

"You know you've been dying to all night. Guy's instinct," he countered.

"You nailed it, Red. I absolutely melt in your presence," she remarked sarcastically.

"So you're saying we have some chemistry?"

"Goodnight, hotshot," Silhouette turned away, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. Physical attraction was based on hormones and certain positive responses in the brain – so in a sense, there _was_ chemistry at play between the two teenagers. The strong-willed heroine, however, resented any slip of control over her body. Common sense told her not to feel affection for any boy with such arrogance regarding women; thus, she resolved to support mind over matter by any means necessary.

"Night, gorgeous. But remember: you still owe me a kiss!" Red declared over the revved up engine. The motorcycle disappeared amidst the streets of Star City, and the two heroes went their separate ways.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice – November 29, 15:20 EST<strong>

Megan and Conner were walking through the hallways of Happy Harbor High School to the football field. Her hands jauntily painting a picture, the girl recounted a funny anecdote from biology class about one classmate's attempt at setting free the snakes.

Conner carried her books and his, walking restlessly beside his girlfriend. Too many thoughts rushed through his head, and school had failed to clear his mind, rather adding to the tumult. How was he supposed to process the events of Thanksgiving? Since his awakening, Conner thought it was perfectly clear: he was a Kryptonian, destined to eventually develop all of Superman's powers. Now, his lack of certain abilities was explained and deemed permanent – he felt as though he had been diagnosed with some terminal disease, his future wrenched from his hands. No more could he reasonably try to be Superman. With these newly discovered limitations, how could he ever be an adequate substitute?

And to top it off, his humanity was provided by none other than Lex Luthor. It was the ultimate cosmic joke: two powerhouses rivaled in his DNA, and the side he so vainly strived for rejected him while his inherently despised enemy offered much more, leaving him and his potential alienated from all sides.

The rest of the weekend was spent in brooding and research, both turning up fruitless. And of course, there were the Shields – his little Kryptonian steroid. He had already discarded their previous case, switching the remaining seven to a new tin that remained hidden in his bedroom. Conner didn't want anything to do with the villain, so why hadn't he followed his impulse and thrown the Shields in to the river? He tried to convince himself that it was only because they could be extremely useful given the situation, but another thought nagged at the back of his mind: there was a certain extent of truth lurking behind Luthor's words that he just wasn't ready to face.

Consumed by his thoughts, Conner failed to notice Megan had stopped talking. After nearly a minute of intent analysis, the disguised Martian mentally nudged the boy out of his thoughts. _"Conner?"_ she telepathically inquired with tenderness. _"Are you alright?"_

Roused back to the reality of his surroundings, Conner replied out loud, "It's nothing, uh…Megan. I'm fine." Realizing he was anything but, Conner continued: "Actually, I'm going to turn in early."

"Okay – I'll see you in a couple hours," Megan hesitantly approved, obviously worried. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Putting on a fake smile for his girlfriend, he assured, "I just want to walk around a bit – rough day back." With a kiss goodbye, Conner began his stroll back to Mount Justice, allowing the chill breeze to settle his mind. Nearing the Cave entrance, the boy found Wolf stretched out in a sunny patch of grass outside and decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

The Cave seemed empty, as usual. Even Red Tornado was nowhere to be found. However, something was slightly out of place: a vaguely familiar yet foreign scent faintly lingered in the space. With nothing better to do, Conner followed the trail through the Cave by his sensitive nose. The smell strengthened progressively, but remained slight – if other people, or even Wolf, had been around, the odor would have merely dissipated among the others.

Conner finally arrived at the open back door, almost losing the trail as the salty air wafted up from the ocean. Focusing on the scent, Conner found that it actually led up – to his surprise, he also found an unnaturally clean-cut hole in the mountainside above. The Kryptonian jumped up to the opening and, to his even bigger surprise, found Mickey sitting in the small cavern. In civvies and sunglasses, she sat up straight and cross-legged, her body completely at rest.

Her eyes still closed beneath the shades, Mickey stated with a sigh, "Oh, well. I had hoped my little hideout would last longer than this. May I ask how you happened to find me?"

The stillness of her manner was slightly disconcerting: only her lips moved to talk, and her concealed eyes could be closed or examining his every move. "I smelled your perfume."

"I'm not wearing any. Maybe it was my shampoo?" As she broke her form to gently lift a lock of hair to her nose, Conner released a breath without realizing he had been holding it. "Yes, that could be the culprit. I never thought I would be embarrassed for smelling nice. Is the aroma really that potent?"

"I barely caught it. I was the only one there, faintly picked up on something, and had nothing better to do." For some reason, he felt the need to assure the girl she wasn't at fault.

"I see. And now you are here."

Looking around the small, obscure cave, Conner inquired, "What is _here_ anyways?"

"I made this cavern to be a peaceful place to think, but I came to realize it actually served better as an escape from thought." Mickey paused, turned towards the boy, and continued, "Have you ever tried to lose yourself in what you sense? Where nothing else matters for the few minutes in which you give yourself over to your surroundings? It's absolutely cathartic," she ended with the hint of a smile.

"No," Conner replied bluntly, although slightly interested.

"Would you like to?"

The invitation seemed somewhat odd. Here the girl intentionally wanted to be alone, yet she accepted his presence and even desired he join her. But the ease in her body language appeared so engaging, it was hard to refuse. Besides, Conner could use a good mental relaxant.

Receiving a nod, Mickey patted the spot beside her and advised, "Sit down. Now take it all in and…" in a whisper, "close your eyes. Listen to rolling waves; feel their pulse trembling through the rock – through your body. Taste the air; feel its sting as it gently settles on your skin, turning you into the ocean mist."

Conner's breathing synchronized with push and pull of the tide as Mickey's voice lulled him into soothing relaxation. He had never felt so at peace. Time seemed to pause around him, the world becoming one cyclic masterpiece. Before he knew it, there was something out of place: a beeping alarm that pulled him out of the trance. Rubbing his heavy eyelids open, Conner remarked incredulously, "Wow – that felt great. No wonder you kept this place a secret. What time is it?"

Checking her watch, Mickey replied nonchalantly, "Twenty past four."

"We've been up here for half an hour? I could have sworn it was only a few minutes," Conner muttered.

"It's strange, yes?" She remarked with a pleased smile. "That is why I always set an alarm – else I could be up here for hours probably without even realizing it." The expression, however, faltered and transitioned into a sigh. "And now, it all returns."

His attention captured by the trick she played on his mind, Conner questioned out of curiosity: "What do you think about?"

Gazing out over the ocean, Mickey replied, "Everything," in a breathy, almost tragic tone, as though it were a great burden. A small smile brought her back, and turning to Conner, she added, "In my happier moments, I think about my family."

"Your family…" Remembering what he was worried about in the first place, Conner began hesitantly, "Mickey…would you mind telling me about them – your family?"

"That's a strange request."

Turning away embarrassedly, Conner dismissed gruffly, "Never mind."

Suddenly stretching her hand out, Mickey grabbed the cuff of Conner's jacket. For some reason, she had shared a more vulnerable side of her personality with this boy than she had with any other Team member. Come to think of it, the first act of openness occurred back at Camp Fillmore. Did she find something relatable in the Kryptonian clone? Or did she merely sympathize? Perhaps the reason was a combination of both. "Wait – it's alright, but why?"

"Really?" Conner replied, slightly surprised.

"I'm still waiting for an answer, but yes, I'm considering it."

"Maybe…" Conner began, reluctant to admit a soft spot, "maybe I want to know what it's like." Once the sad wish was out in the open, Conner steeled himself against the girl, regretting his admittance to weakness.

Analyzing every expression of the boy in front of her, Mickey felt her heart wrench at his isolation and his supposed expectations to hide the pain of it. She remembered the Superman issue and Conner's tension at the slightest mention of the superhero. Of course Conner had M'gann, but Mickey knew their relationship wasn't quite the same as the one he desired to have with the would-be father figure. Finally standing up, Mickey requested kindly, "Come here."

Conner hesitated before walking over. Finding the girl's hand suddenly placed on his chest, he questioned, "What are you – ?"

"Just hold still," Mickey interrupted. "You will not tell anyone about this place, correct?"

"Sure."

After a pause, she continued, "Not even M'gann?"

Taking a moment to acknowledge that he would be keeping another secret from girlfriend, even though much smaller than the one of his parentage, he soon answered, "Not even M'gann."

Another pause later, Mickey stated, "I believe you. You may use this space whenever you feel like it. Now listen carefully: if you so much as mention any detail of my family to anyone, I will personally find and utilize a shard of Kryptonite sharp enough to pierce your heart. Do you understand?"

Shocked by the unexpected intimidation of the thin, shorter girl, Conner suddenly remembered the power and perseverance demonstrated in Mickey's battles. He imagined a daunting fire smoldering behind her eyes as he responded, "Yes."

"You will not inform anyone, even if they torture you?"

Defiantly accepting the challenge posed by Mickey's interrogation, Conner answered resolutely, "I promise."

Smiling after a final pause, Mickey explained, "Sorry for being so histrionic, but I've told you before – I have a family to protect. If they come to any harm because of you, remember: I meant every word."

"I don't doubt you. Just out of curiosity, were you doing the lie detector thing on me?"

"Right, Kryptonian," Mickey acknowledged with a smile. "I'm sorry that I had to get touchy with it; my hearing is not nearly as fine-tuned as yours, so I have to feel the beating to properly identify the heart rate."

"Then you know I won't tell anyone."

Sharing parts of her identity with anyone was risky, but Mickey felt instinctually able to trust this boy. He hadn't been alive long enough to develop questionable motives, and something in his character seemed compelled to be good. Once that confidence was established, Mickey yearned to take it a step farther and attempt something she had never tried before with someone her age: friendship – a bond deeper than mere acquaintance. Perhaps Conner could be her proving ground before letting in the rest of the Team. Taking one last look at the boy before she placed her trust in him as a confidant, Mickey started her story: "Like I said, I have a normal family – a mother, a father, a younger brother."

Fondly remembering the children he rescued a few weeks prior, Conner asked, "How old is your brother?"

"Seven. He's a really cute kid – smart, too," she described warmly. "I look at him, and I know I would do absolutely anything to keep him safe."

"Even take on a Kryptonian?" he joked.

"In a heartbeat," she replied immediately. "So what do you want to know?"

Mulling over the options, Conner picked: "What's it like?"

"They have always been there to support me and always will be, no matter how badly I fail, because there is some an ineffable bond between us. With them, I am part of a whole. I can always count on my parents for wisdom; my mother warmth and support; my little brother to put a smile on my face. They are my greatest comfort, and I love them more than anything on this Earth."

"I was right – normal does sound nice," he reflected sadly.

"Conner, there is no true normal," Mickey explained. "Unfortunately for society, what I have is lucky. Not every family has good relationships." Noticing a sudden distress in his expression, she amended, "What I mean to say is nothing is perfect. Life can't be simplified to black and white – it's a mosaic of grays."

Surprised by the similarity to Luthor's comments, Conner lamented, "I can take you word on that one."

"Sorry, I – "

"It's alright. Would you tell me a story?"

Refraining from laughing at the childish request of the hulking, teenage Kryptonian, Mickey nodded and responded, "I told you my parents are scientists, right? Well, they're both very dedicated to the field. One of the biggest rooms in our house is their office, which is basically a fully-equipped laboratory. Both of them are brilliant, but my father can get a little…distracted. Every so often, my brother and I wake up thinking there's an earthquake or a bombing, but then dad comes out, eyebrows singed, drenched by his own sprinkler system. All he says is 'don't tell your mother,' even though she always seems to know by the morning – every time it happens, for some reason, she makes him scrambled eggs. One time, I heard the boom but was too tired to go down. The next morning, who do I see but my dad making the eggs!" Giggling at her own punch line, Mickey at first failed to realize the absence of responding laughter. Finally calming down, she questioned, "Nothing? Alright, I get it, not the best anecdote."

Not paying much heed to the awkward disconnect, Conner prodded on, "Didn't you tell me your parents are geneticists?"

"They dabble in chemistry from time to time. My parents are both very intelligent, and they have been working together since college. That's where they began their first project." Letting slip a happy smile, she continued, "And that's where they fell in love. Speaking of which, M'gann should be back soon. Are you going down?"

Conner nodded in confirmation, walking to the mouth of the mini-cave. Turning around briefly, Conner stated, "Thank you."

"No problem, Conner. But remember, if you tell anyone, you will die."

The Kryptonian was about to laugh, but then he saw the girl's face and believed her. As the boy jumped out of sight, all Mickey could think was _"weird."_

By the time he had returned to the main floor of the Cave, M'gann was already levitating inside. "Conner!" she cheerfully announced, greeting him with a quick kiss. "Are you feeling better? What did you end up doing?"

"I'm fine. I just… started a story."

"That sounds nice. I'm going to make dinner – let me know when Zatanna gets home from New York."

"Home," the boy repeated as the Martian left the room. The word rolled differently off his tongue now that it had added meaning. As the aroma of cooking ingredients began wafting through the Cave, Conner decided to out back and check on Mickey. She, however, was already gone.

* * *

><p>Again, really sorry for the extensively delayed update. This month has quite literally been the worst month of my life so far in terms of exhaustion, crammed workload, challenging assignments, and lack of time. I'm currently debating whether I should start making shorter chapters so that posts can be more frequent. Personally, I've always preferred long chapters because they feel more like watching episodes, but they do take a long time to write and edit.<p>

Unfortunately, I have an awful essay to write relating one of the transcendentalist writers and Gatsby, plus soccer (ughh screw sports) and everything else, so December chapters (I'll try my best not to skip over too much time) will be coming up around winter break. Christmas and New Year's specials are going to be late :( but a lot of those chapters are already written, so that should be fine.

As always, please READ & REVIEW! Even on previous chapters! Always appreciated!


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